Intense lobbying is on in the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha for ticket to contest three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from the State.
With the BJD likely to win all three, given its strength of 112 in the 147-member Assembly, aspirants are thronging Naveen Nivas, residence of Chief Minister and party president Naveen Patnaik to press their case.
The Election Commission last week announced July 5 as the byelection date. The BJD candidates are likely to file their papers on June 25, the last date for doing so, party officials said on condition of anonymity.
The seats fell vacant after Achyuta Samanta, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and Pratap Keshari Deb resigned following their victories in the the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. While Mr. Samanta was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kandhamal, Mr. Patnaik and Mr. Deb were elected to the Assembly from Khandapada and Aul, respectively.
The possible choices of the party include Prasanna Kumar Patasani, former Bhubaneswar MP, and Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik, former Berhampur MLA. Both were assured Rajya Sabha berths by the party president when they were denied ticket for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Chances hurt
Party officials, however, said that Mr. Patasani’s chances may have been hurt by the fact that the BJD’s nominee for the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, lost the election. Mr. Chyau Patnaik may be chosen since the party’s nominee for the Berhampur Assembly seat, Bikram Kumar Panda, won.
The aspirants for the Rajya Sabha seats include prominent leaders who lost in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and those who could not be given ticket to contest those elections.
Besides, there is a strong possibility of the party choosing at least one woman for the Rajya Sabha. The BJD has only one woman Rajya Sabha member at present.
With the BJD having given 33% of the Lok Sabha ticket to women candidates, several women leaders are hoping for the best if the party decides to adopt the same formula for the Upper House.
