BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday nominated state unit President Manmohan Samal and re-nominated outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar as its candidates for two Upper House seats from Odisha.Samal previously served in the Rajya Sabha from 2000 to 2004. A native of Mirhasanpur in Bhadrak district’s Dhamnagar area, the 66-year-old leader holds a postgraduate degree in law from Fakir Mohan University, Balasore.He took charge as state BJP President in March 2023, ahead of the concurrent 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and was retained for a three-year term in July 2024. A prominent OBC face of the party, Samal’s nomination was widely expected, especially after he led the BJP to its first-ever standalone assembly victory in Odisha, although he himself lost the election.Samal narrowly lost from Chandabali, going down to BJD’s Byomakesh Ray by just 1,916 votes—a win that could have made him a strong contender for the chief minister’s post.During his earlier stint as state President (1999–2004), the BJP, in alliance with the BJD, formed a government in Odisha for the first time. History repeated in 2024 when the BJP came to power on its own under his leadership. Samal was also an MLA from Dhamnagar in 2004 and served as revenue and food supplies minister in the BJP-BJD coalition government between 2004 and 2008.His political journey began during his student days when he was elected President of the Bhadrak College Students’ Union in 1979. He later held several roles in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).Sujeet Kumar, who resigned as a BJD Rajya Sabha MP before re-entering the Upper House as a BJP nominee in December 2024, hails from Kalahandi. A Supreme Court practitioner, he has appeared before various high courts and tribunals. Sujeet holds an MBA from Saïd Business School, Oxford University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Known for his policy background, he brings legislative experience and continuity to the party’s representation in Parliament.With the BJP’s strength of 79 MLAs, the election of both candidates is almost certain, as each requires 30 first-preference votes. The party also maintained regional balance—Samal from coastal Odisha and Sujeet from western Odisha.Four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha are among 37 across the country going to polls on 16 March. The BJD nominated Santrupt Misra as its candidate, and Datteswar Hota as a “common candidate” with Congress’s support.
