Bhubaneswar: Speculation over the BJP’s Rajya Sabha pick from Odisha intensified on Friday after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi met party national president Nitin Nabin in New Delhi, fuelling buzz that the BJP chief may be fielded from the state.“… Held productive discussions on strengthening organisational coordination and accelerating development initiatives in Odisha. Reaffirmed our shared commitment to good governance, inclusive growth, and the welfare of the people of our state,” CM Majhi shared on X.
Of the four seats falling vacant, sources said the BJP may leverage its strength in Odisha to send at least one central leader from the state and one state BJP leader for the two seats where it has clear numbers.For a third seat, for which it needs the BJD support, the BJP may field an eminent personality acceptable to leader of opposition Naveen Patnaik. Though the BJD is the principal opposition party, insiders in both BJP and BJD believe such an arrangement may work, given BJD’s history of supporting BJP candidates twice in the past when it had the numbers.With 50 MLAs, the BJD will comfortably send at least one candidate. Ahead of finalising its nominee(s), BJD president Naveen also chaired a meeting of the party MLAs at his residence on Friday. All 48 MLAs — barring the two suspended members — Sanatan Mahakud and Arvind Mohapatra — were invited.Senior MLA and former minister Arun Sahoo said there was no discussion on the Rajya Sabha issue in the meeting. “The discussion was on organisational matters. The party chief will take an appropriate decision on the Rajya Sabha issue soon. The names will be announced well before the last date of nominations on March 5,” Sahoo said.Naveen is scheduled to chair another meeting of MLAs on Saturday. The BJD, however, has already purchased six sets of nomination papers.Meanwhile, state congress president Bhakta Charan Das said it would be great if the BJD comes together with his party for one seat, and send an eminent personality of Odisha as an Independent member. The Congress, which has 14 MLAs — 16 short of the required numbers — has collected three sets of nomination papers.Das, who left for Delhi to discuss the party’s strategy for the upcoming poll, said, “I will discuss our strategy with the party high command.”
