BHUBANESWAR: As Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced candidates for all the four vacancies in Rajya Sabha from Odisha, election for which is scheduled on March 26, numbers in the Assembly are heavily in favour of BJD for winning all the seats.
While the BJD with 113 MLAs in the Assembly has adequate numbers to win three seats, second preference votes will ensure victory of party’s fourth candidate unless there is cross voting in favour of the BJP candidate. Such a situation will arise if BJP decides to field a candidate.Sources in the BJP said a decision in this regard will be taken by BJP Parliamentary Board soon. The BJP has 23 MLAs in the Assembly and is seven short of winning a seat.
If the situation requires the second preference votes to be counted, the BJP will also have no chance winning the fourth seat. Leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingh Mishra told this paper that there is no question of the Congress supporting either BJD or BJP.
However, he said formal decision of the party to abstain from the election will announced by AICC. In such a scenario, if Congress which has nine members in the Assembly decides to abstain from the polls, the BJD will win all the four seats with first preference votes. The CPM, which has only one MLA in the Assembly, will not participate in the election.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has appointed former MLA and senior leader Ramesh Chandra Chaupatnaik as chairperson of Odisha Construction Workers’ Welfare Board with Cabinet rank. Chaupatnaik was assured by Naveen of a berth in the upper house after he was denied a ticket in the 2019 Assembly polls.
However, former Lok Sabha member from Bhubaneswar Prasanna Patsani has again been disappointed. The Chief Minister had also assured him of a Rajya Sabha berth after he was denied a ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
But, his name is missing from the list of BJD candidates. Similarly, several senior BJD leaders including former minister Maheswar Mohanty, former MLA Debasis Samantray and former MP Kalikesh Singhdeo have been disappointed.