Two BJD candidates file nomination for Odisha RS poll; suspense over third seat

Speculations are rife that Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was the BJP candidate in the 2019 Rajya Sabha poll with support from the BJD, may again find favour for the third Rajya Sabha seat

Published on: Feb 13, 2024, 21:20:08 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders Debashish Samantaray and Subhasish Khuntia on Tuesday filed their nomination papers for the February 27 Rajya Sabha elections Tuesday even as the suspense continued over the third seat with the ruling party not announcing any names yet.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik (right) with the BJD Rajya Sabha candidates in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. (ANI)

The BJD with 109 members has the numbers for electing two candidates on its own with first preference votes of 38 each. But to get the third candidate win, it would need the support of four more MLAs.

Speculations are rife that Union railway, IT and communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was the BJP candidate in the 2019 Rajya Sabha poll with support from the BJD, may again find favour. Vaishnaw will arrive in Odisha on Wednesday morning on a two-day official visit.

Samantray, a three-time BJD MLA, and Subhasish Khuntia, vice-president of the Biju Yuva Janata Dal, filed their nomination papers in the state Assembly in the presence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik and other BJD leaders.

Despite losing the assembly election from Barabati-Cuttack constituency in 2019, Samantray, 64, is known to be close to Patnaik. Similarly, Khuntia played a pivotal role in acquisition of 15.6 acre land for the Shrimandir Parikrama Project for the beautification of the corridor around the 12th-century Jagannath temple.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Nomination Papers

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