BHUBANESWAR: With the process for Rajya Sabha elections set on rails, behind-the-scenes political manoeuvres seem to have gained momentum in Odisha.
While the sudden meeting between senior BJP leader Dilip Ray and Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan at the latter’s residence here on Saturday drew immense attention, the Friday night engagement between purportedly estranged colleagues Leader of Opposition and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik and former minister AU Singh Deo has added to the political buzz.
Election will be held for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha and while the BJP and BJD have numbers stacked for two and one seat each, the fourth one will go down to the mathematics and shrewd political management. Harichandan had on Thursday announced that the BJP will go all out to grab the seat by fielding its candidate. The third candidate will also be victorious, he had asserted.
His meeting with Ray is being seen in this light. Harichandan, however, said that the meeting had nothing to do with politics and was just a personal visit by Ray. “There was no discussion on any issue. We share a personal relationship and he had come to visit our family. He also met my father to enquire about his health,” Harichandan said.
Observers, though, noted the development as the prospect of Ray being propped up for the third seat of BJP.
The former Union minister was a Rajya Sabha member twice earlier from 1996 to 2002 and 2002 to 2008. Ray has links across political parties, which can prove to be an asset if he gets the nod for the seat, analysts said.
He had won the 2002 RS polls as an independent in a very dramatic manner, after being refused renomination by the BJD. Despite his expulsion from BJD, he had won with nearly 15 MLAs from his former party reportedly crossvoting in his favour. The BJP also had come to his rescue with six second preference votes.
BJP sources indicated, given the current legislative arithmetic, Ray could emerge as a viable candidate for the party.
Similarly, the meeting between Naveen and Singh Deo at Naveen Nivas has also drawn attention. Singh Deo has largely stayed away from active politics for some years now. His visit to Naveen in the backdrop of ensuing RS polls is being watched with interest.