By Anurjay Dhal
BHUBANESWAR: The BJD Supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said in a statement that his Party will support the candidature of Union Railways, Communication and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishanaw in the ensuing Rajya Sabha election 2024. Sources said, as Ashwini Vaishnaw shares close bonding with both BJD and BJP top brasses and it was expected, BJD would extend its support to him once BJP allowed him for a second term in Rajya Sabha.
The Party Supremo Patnaik said that the decision was taken for the larger interest of State’s Railways and Telecom Development.
‘The BJD will support the candidature of Ashwini Vaishnaw for the larger interest of State’s Railways and Telecom Development ,” BJD Supremo and CM Patnaik said in a statement soon after BJP named the Union Minister as its candidate from Odisha.
Vaishnaw was earlier elected to RS in 2019 from BJP with the support of Governing BJD. So, it is expected that the same equation will be followed by the BJD and BJP this time too because the BJD has nominated only two candidates even though it has the majority to win all three seats in the ensuing poll for three RS seats.
3 seats are going to vacant in April this year in Odisha while BJD named its candidates for 2 seats including Debashish Samantray and Subhashish Khuntia while for third seat, BJD will support BJP candidate Vaishanaw.
Earlier, BJP has announced its candidate for Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. In Madhya Pradesh, Party named Dr L Murugan, Umesh Nath Maharaj and Bansilal Gujar while the Saffron Party for the second time fielded Union Minister Vaishanaw from Odisha with Naveen Patnaik led BJD support.
Three MPs, two from the Governing BJD – Prashant Nanda and Amar Patnaik and BJP’s Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, will complete their tenure in the Rajya Sabha in April this year.
As per the notification, election to the three Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha will be held on February 27 between 9 am and 4 pm in the state Assembly premises and the counting of votes will be conducted on the very day at 5 pm. The last date for filing of nominations is February 15.
