Bhubaneswar, March 2 – The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to field three candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Following a high-level meeting of party MLAs held here on Monday, a senior leader informed the media that the BJP would contest three Rajya Sabha seats.
He added that the party’s Central leadership will announce the names of candidates soon. During the meeting, all party MLAs were instructed to remain present at the time of filing of nominations by the candidates on March 5.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, and Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, along with several other senior party leaders, were present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was also held on Monday at a hotel near Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar to chalk out the party’s strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha.
The meeting is being attended by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das, CLP leader Rama Chandra Kadam, and Odisha AICC in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu. Out of the 14 Congress MLAs in the State Assembly, 12 were present during the discussion.
On the other hand, the BJD-backed common candidate for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat, Dr Datteswar Hota, has also attended the meeting seeking the support of the Congress legislators.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Hota said that he had formally requested the Congress leadership to extend support to his candidature.
“We have placed our request before the Congress leaders. We believe in democratic values and have appealed to them to take a considered decision. We will present a detailed report on our views and expectations,” he said.
Speaking on the formal request of Hota seeking support of the Congress party, OPCC president Das stated that the matter would be referred to the party’s central leadership for a final decision.
“The issue will be discussed and communicated to the high command. After consultations with our MLAs and senior leaders, an appropriate decision will be taken,” he said.
With the retirement of four Rajya Sabha members from Odisha scheduled for April 2, elections have been necessitated. The outgoing representatives include Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan from BJD, along with Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta of the ruling BJP.