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BHUBANESWAR: Days after resigning from the Rajya Sabha as well as the BJD, Mamata Mohanta will be back in the Upper House as a BJP member soon.
The central election committee of the BJP on Tuesday named the former MP as its candidate for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha.
Mohanta, a tribal leader from Kudumi community of Mayurbhanj district and a senior leader of the BJD, had resigned from Rajya Sabha and the regional party on July 31 citing that she was neglected by the party. She joined the BJP on August 1, a day after quitting BJD.
Thanking the party for nominating her from the seat, Mohanta said, she will work dedicatedly for the welfare of the people.
Mohanta was sent to the Upper House by the then ruling BJD on April 3, 2020. Her tenure was till April 2, 2026.
Election for the 12 vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha including the lone seat from Odisha will be held on September 3. The BJP is certain to win the seat as it has 78 MLAs in the 147-member Assembly. It also has the support of three Independent MLAs.
The Opposition BJD and Congress have 51 and 14 MLAs respectively. Along with one CPM member, the Opposition does not have the numbers to corner the seat.
Out of the 10 Rajya Sabha MPs from Odisha, the BJD had nine which came down to eight after resignation of Mohanta. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had been elected to the Upper House as a BJP candidate supported by the BJD.