BHUBANESWAR : Former BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar, who resigned from the upper house of the Parliament on September 6, filed nomination for the by-election to the seat as a BJP candidate on Monday. Kumar had quit the BJD and joined the saffron party the same day.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, state BJP president Manmohan Samal and several senior leaders, Kumar filed two sets of nomination papers. The chief minister was a proposer in one set of papers while Singh Deo signed the second set. As many as 30 party MLAs were proposers for Kumar’s nomination.
Kumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national BJP president JP Nadda and Samal for reposing faith in him and nominating him for the Rajya Sabha.
“I will continue to work for the development of KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) region with special focus on Kalahandi in the remaining period of one-and-half years. As the prime minister has given special attention to the development of Odisha under his Purvodaya Mission, I will also contribute my might to fulfil his dreams,” Kumar told reporters after filing his nomination.
Parliamentary Affairs minister Mukesh Mahaling said Kumar is the only candidate so far to file nomination for the by-election. He followed the path of former BJD leader Mamata Mohanta who had quit as BJD Rajya Sabha MP only to be re-elected to the seat from BJP.
Kumar’s re-election is also a foregone conclusion in view of the strength of BJP in Odisha Assembly. The saffron party has 78 MLAs in the 147-member House followed by 51 MLAs of BJD, 14 of Congress, three Independents and one CPI(M) member.
December 10 is the last date for filing of nominations while voting is scheduled to be held on December 20.