Bhubaneswar, March 3: After being nominated as a Rajya Sabha candidate from Odisha for the upcoming biennial elections, BJP leader Sujeet Kumar expressed his gratitude to party's top leadership.
"I am extremely grateful and thankful to my leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah Ji, National President Nitin Nabin, to the entire leadership of BJP, both in the centre and also in Odisha, for this confidence and faith in me,” said Kumar.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday named State unit president Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Odisha.
The decision reflects the party's emphasis on organisational strength and regional representation.
Kumar, known for his policy background, adds legislative depth and continuity to the party's representation in the Upper House while Samal, a seasoned organisational leader and state BJP president, brings grassroots experience and a strong hold over party structure in Odisha.
BJD, the main opposition force in the State has already announced senior party leader Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota, an eminent urologist, as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
The Rajya Sabha elections for four seats are scheduled March 16. The four RS seats from Odisha fall vacant after the tenure of four MPs – Niranjan Bishi, Munna Khan, Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar – ends in April this year.
According to the Rajya Sabha arithmetic in Odisha, each candidate needs at least 30 first preference votes to win the polls.
In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents. Therefore, the BJP candidates can easily win two seats. The saffron party will have a surplus of 22 votes, which is eight short of the number required for electing three MPs.
Similarly, the opposition BJD has 48 MLAs after two of its members were suspended last month for anti-party activities. After electing one MP, it will have 18 first-preference votes but will require another 12 to bag the second seat.
The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one member. Congress has already announced support for common candidate Dr Datteswar Hota, announced by the BJD.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its first list of candidates for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections, clearing nine names across six States. The announcement was made by the party's Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters.
