BHUBANESWAR: In yet another show of growing bonhomie between BJD and BJP, the saffron party’s candidate for Rajya Sabha by-polls Ashwini Vaishnav got a five-year tenure.
On Monday, Vaishnav, along with Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra of the BJD, filed nomination papers for the three vacant seats from Odisha.
While Patnaik got a five-year tenure, Patra was given a three-year tenure.
All the three are going to be elected to the Rajya Sabha uncontested as no other nominee has filed nomination papers. The three seats were held by the BJD.
Vaishnav, a former IAS officer who was Private Secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, filed his nomination papers for the seat vacated by Soumya Ranjan Patnaik who was elected from Khandapara Assembly seat.
Amar Patnaik filed his papers for the seat vacated by Achyutananda Samant who won from Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency while Patra filed his nomination papers for the seat vacated by Pratap Deb who was elected from Aul Assembly segment in the recently-concluded elections.
Patnaik and Patra submitted their papers to the Returning Officer in the Assembly in the presence of Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik.
Several BJP and BJD leaders were present when the BJP nominee Vaishav filed his papers.
Deb’s tenure as Rajya Sabha member was till July 2022 while Patnaik and Samanta were to continue as members of the Upper House till April 2024.
While BJD leaders filed three sets of nomination papers each, Vaishnav filed two sets of papers. BJP legislators Jayanarayan Mishra, Pradipta Naik and several other leaders accompanied former bureaucrat during his filing of nomination papers.
Besides the Chief Minister, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha and several senior leaders were also present.
The last date for filing of nomination is June 25 and verification of papers will be done on June 26. Polling was to be held on July 5 between 9 am and 4 pm.