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While four Rajya Sabha members from Odisha have resigned following their wins in the recently-held general elections, lobbying has begun in the BJD for the berths in the Upper House of Parliament.
Newly-elected Ali MLA Pratap Kesari Deb was the one to resign from the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, three BJD RS members, Anubhav Mohanty, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and Achyuta Samanta, had resigned.
While Samanta and Mohanty won the Kandhamal and Kendrapada Lok Sabha seats, respectively, Patnaik was elected to the State Assembly from the Khandapada seat in Nayagarh district.
As Mohanty’s tenure was left with about a year, by-election to his seat may not be held this time.
The Election Commission of India may conduct by-polls for three other seats vacated by Samanta, Patnaik and Deb.
While Patnaik and Samanta had about four-and-a-half years left in their tenure, Deb had to continue in the Upper House of the Parliament for more three years.
The lobby for the RS polls is gaining momentum even as BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier announced to field Prasanna Patsani and Ramesh Chandra Chayupatnaik as party candidates for the ensuing Rajya Sabha polls.
“CM had announced my name for Rajya Sabha earlier. Therefore, I hope to get a chance to go to Rajya Sabha. I am not lobbying,” said Patsani.
Chayupatnaik said, “When we met the Chief Minister after Bikram Panda was given party ticket for the Brahmapur Assembly seat, I was asked to work together and assured of a Rajya Sabha berth.”
Apart from Patsani and Chayupatnaik, the BJD supremo may send former MLA Sanatan Mahakud to the Rajya Sabha this time, said party sources.
However, another source in the BJD claimed that Patsani may not be chosen for the RS because of his silence during the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.
The other names doing rounds are former MP Rabindra Jena, former MLAs Maheswar Mohanty and Akash Dasnaik. Names of party spokesperson Amar Patnaik and woman leader Srimayi Mishra are also being discussed in the BJD circle.
This apart, three more Rajya Sabha seats are likely to be vacant as the tenures of Ranjib Biswal, Sarojini Hembram and Narendra Swain will end on April 2, 2020.
In view of the BJD’s 111 strength in the State Assembly, it may not be difficult for the party to send three of its leaders to the Rajya Sabha this time.