Indus Valley Times

By Sukant Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 11: As the date for Rajya Sabha elections approaches, guessing games and speculations run high in Odisha’s political circles as to who will be picked by the state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as its nominees.

Rajya Sabha polls will be held on February 27.

Three RS seats from Odisha are going to fall vacant as the terms of Ashwini Vaishnaw, Prashant Nanda and Amar Patnaik are going to expire soon. As it requires at least 38 votes to send a member to Rajya Sabha, the BJD with an effective strength of 111 members in the State Assembly, is in a position to fill all the vacant posts with single transfer votes (STVs) and second preference votes (SPVs)

With only four days left for filing of nomination, the corridors of power are witnessing some movements and consternation. Many wonder if the ruling party will go in for a BJD-BJP combo candidate like that of Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was nominated previously.

In 2019, both BJP and BJD, though they are political opponents in the state, had jointly sent Vaishnaw to Rajya Sabha.

Sources in the BJD said the party leadership is making assessments of political benefits while choosing the candidates ahead of the general elections.

Many analysts see that corporate administrator-turned politician Santrupt Misra has a bright chance of getting the BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s nod to go to the Upper House. The other names that are doing rounds include BJD leader and Puri Lok Sabha member Pinaki Misra and Titlagarh MLA Tukuni Sahu.

Sources added that Pinaki is reluctant to contest Lok Sabha polls this time. Since retired chief secretary and Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) chairperson Asit Tripathy is contemplating to fight from Titlagarh assembly seat, Tukuni Sahu will be sent to Rajya Sabha. Besides, names of two senior leaders – Prasanna Pattasani and Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik – are also doing the rounds for the vacant posts.

The BJD has enough electoral strength to nominate three candidates to the Upper House. Support of 111 MLAs is required by the BJD to elect its three leaders to the RS. Now, it has 108 MLAs after the expulsion of four MLAs such as Pradeep Panigrahi, Prashant Jagdev, Sudhanshu Parida and Soumya Ranjan Patnaik from the party on anti-party activity and corruption charges. Telkoi MLA Premananda Nayak recently resigned from the party on Friday. 

On the other hand, the number of legislators in the Assembly is now 146 after the death of Digapahandi MLA Surjya Narayan Patro. In the second preference, the victory of the party’s three candidates is almost certain..0000000