The Interview Times
In the next Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will run candidates for three of the four seats. According to reports, senior party leaders met in Bhubaneswar on Monday and decided on this matter. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, and BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal were among those present at the meeting.
It was reportedly decided that three candidates of BJP will file their nominations for the biennial elections on March 5. However, the saffron party is yet to announce its candidates for the upcoming polls. All party MLAs have been asked to remain present during the submission of nomination papers by the three candidates. Signatures of legislators were reportedly obtained on nomination forms collected by the Lotus party for submission. It may be noted that four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha will go to the polls on March 16.
Due to the retirement of four Rajya Sabha MPs from Odisha on April 2, the poll Commission of India (ECI) has already released the poll timetable. Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta of the BJP and Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan of the BJD are retiring. Three independent lawmakers back the BJP, which has 79 MLAs in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. Two of the four Rajya Sabha seats that are up for grabs will virtually certainly be won by the ruling party.
