BJD Candidate Swain Files Papers for Odisha RS By-poll
BHUBANESWAR: Ruling BJD candidate Narendra Kumar Swain on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the December 14 by-election to Rajya Sabha seat from the State.
Swain was accompanied by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other senior leaders of BJD.
Swain, also the General Secretary of the regional outfit, filed his papers on the last date for filing of nominations before returning officer-cum-Assembly Secretary Amiya Kumar Sarangi.
Swain’s election to the Rajya Sabha is a foregone conclusion since the Opposition parties have decided not to field any candidate and the ruling BJD has a strength of 117 in the 147-member House.
The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on Friday and withdrawal of papers would be allowed till December 7.
Verification of the papers will be done on December 4. Last date for withdrawal of nominations is December 7.
Congress and BJP have already said they are not going to field candidates for the Upper House because of their poor numerical strength. The Congress and BJP have 16 and 10 members respectively.
“BJD has 117 members in the House and we have only 16. This is the reason why Congress has decided not to field any candidate for the Rajya Sabha election,” said Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra.
The lone Rajya Sabha seat had fallen vacant after death of BJD’s Kalpataru Das in July this year. While he was elected to the Upper House in April, 2014, his tenure was supposed to end on April 2, 2020.