2 months ago
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The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) connected Saturday (February 28, 2026) announced 2 candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls contempt having the numbers to guarantee triumph for lone one, a determination that turned the contention competitory aft the Indian National Congress swiftly extended enactment to the 2nd nominee. This has perchance upset the Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to unafraid 3 seats from the State.
Santrupt Misra, the erstwhile Human Resources caput of Aditya Birla Group, who joined BJD conscionable earlier 2024 Lok Sabha elections and unsuccessfully fought the polls from Cuttack, is the archetypal prime campaigner portion Dr. Datteswar Hota, noted urologist and archetypal Vice-Chancellor of Odisha Health University, is the “common” candidate.
All parties should support: Patnaik
“For Rajya Sabha elections, our enactment has decided to springiness 2 candidates. First campaigner for the 3rd spot would beryllium Dr. Santrupta Mishra, a elder subordinate of our party. The 2nd campaigner for the 4th spot is simply a communal campaigner – Dr. Datteswar Hota, a renowned doc from Odisha, archetypal VC of OHU and erstwhile main of SCB Medical College,” said BJD supremo and erstwhile Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik portion making a ceremonial announcement of the candidates.
“Since helium (Dr. Hota) is simply a communal candidate, we entreaty to each the parties to enactment him and nonstop him to Rajya Sabha,” Mr. Patnaik said.
“The BJD president and my MLA colleagues person fixed maine an onerous work of representing the enactment arsenic nominee for Raya Sabha elections. I americium grateful to them for reposing religion successful me. I anticipation we volition instrumentality the issues of Odisha and Odia radical guardant and guarantee BJD remains beardown and travel backmost to powerfulness successful 2029,” said Mr. Mishra successful his reaction.
Similarly, Dr. Hota said, “I volition surely utilise the acquisition immoderate I person gained during my agelong vocation successful nationalist wellness if fixed an accidental to correspond Odisha successful Rajya Sabha and enactment towards strengthening wellness sector.”
There are 10 Rajya Sabha MPs from Odisha — 7 from the BJD and 3 from BJP. The tenure of BJD MPs Niranjan Bishi and Muzibulla Khan, and BJP MPs Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar, volition extremity connected April 2.
In the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly, the BJP has 79 MLAs, followed by BJD with 50, the Congress with 14, 1 subordinate from the CPI(M), and 3 Independents. The BJP presently enjoys the enactment of each 3 Independent MLAs. It is to beryllium noted that BJD’s spot has travel down to 48 aft it suspended Arvind Mohapatra, Patkura MLA, and Santan Mahakud, Champua MLA, connected allegation of anti-party activities.
Going by arithmetic that requires archetypal penchant votes from minimum 31 MLAs to guarantee triumph of a candidate, BJP and BJD tin comfortably nonstop 2 and 1 campaigner respectively to Rajya Sabha. No enactment has numerical spot to guarantee triumph of 4th candidate.
Vijay Singh Tomar, in-charge of BJP enactment affairs for Odisha, was, however, earlier quoted arsenic saying that the enactment would nonstop 3 members from Odisha to the Upper House of Parliament.
The anticipation of BJP sending its 3rd campaigner present appears bladed with Congress instantly announcing its enactment to the communal campaigner announced by Mr. Patnaik. If the BJD and Congress travel together, their numbers would adhd up to 62.
Congress’ view
“We had made it wide that if BJD announces a communal oregon autarkic campaigner with credible societal standing, we would surely support. Now erstwhile Dr. Hota’s sanction was formally announced, we did not person immoderate hesitation to enactment him,” said Bhakta Charan Das, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. The OPCC president said helium had besides discussed the contented of Rajya Sabha elections with the erstwhile Chief Minister.
“Our enactment to the renowned urologist is ideology-based. The determination is aimed astatine preventing horse-trading,” the Congress person said.
A governmental expert termed the determination by Congress appears astute arsenic it was obscurity successful the contention for a Rajya Sabha seat. By supporting BJD’s communal candidate, it would astatine slightest forestall BJP from sending a 3rd candidate.
