BJD names party leader Santrupt Misra, doctor Datteswar Hota as RS poll candidates; Cong to back one

Bhubaneswar, Feb 28 (PTI) The Biju Janata Dal on Saturday announced senior party leader Dr Santrupt Misra and renowned doctor Datteswar Hota as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, prompting the Congress to declare that it will support the physician.

The move raised the stakes for the fourth seat which will be vacant in the Upper House of Parliament from Odisha. The ruling BJP is set to win two seats in the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections, and the opposition BJD is certain to bag one.

“For the Rajya Sabha elections next month, our party has decided to nominate two candidates. The first is Dr Santrupt Misra, a senior member of our party. The other person, who is a common candidate, is Datteswar Hota, a renowned doctor from Odisha,” BJD president Naveen Patnaik said.

Misra had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Cuttack, while Hota is an eminent urologist and a non-political person.

Patnaik said Hota is the first vice-chancellor of the Odisha Health University and also served as the principal of the SCB Medical College in Cuttack.

“Since he (Dr Hota) is a common candidate, I appeal to all the parties to support him and send him to the Rajya Sabha,” the former chief minister said.

Replying to a question, the BJD supremo said he is hopeful of the victory of both candidates.

Within an hour of the announcement by the BJD chief, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das appreciated Patnaik’s decision to field a "common candidate".

“Naveen Babu has taken a very important decision by fielding Dr Hota as a common candidate. We will support his candidature to prevent possible horse-trading as planned by the ruling BJP. There is no difficulty in supporting the common candidate,” Das claimed.

The BJP's Odisha in-charge Viay Pal Singh Tomar had said that the party will win the maximum number of Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.

According to the Rajya Sabha arithmetic in Odisha, each candidate needs at least 30 first preference votes to win the polls. In the 147-member Odisha assembly, the BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents. Therefore, the BJP candidates can easily win two seats. The saffron party will have a surplus of 22 votes, which is eight short of the number required for electing three MPs.

Similarly, the opposition BJD has 48 MLAs after two of its members were suspended last month. After electing one MP, it will have 18 first-preference votes but will require another 12 to bag the second seat. The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one member.

Patnaik, who is known for his criticism of the Congress, held a discussion with the OPCC president on Monday.

“During the meeting, I proposed that a common candidate be fielded to avoid horse trading during the Rajya Sabha polls as planned by the BJP. He was also of the same opinion and announced two names today. Dr Hota was also among the five names discussed at the meeting,” Das said.

The BJD did not say anything about the meeting between Das and Patnaik.

“The BJD cannot win the second seat due to the number game. However, it would be possible with Congress's support,” Das said, adding that now it should be ensured that Hota does not pull back.

The OPCC president praised Hota, saying the doctor has provided free treatment to about 1 lakh people in remote areas of the state by holding at least 100 health camps.

He also thanked Patnaik for deciding to field Hota in the best interest of the state and democracy.

Though BJD maintains an “equi-distance” from BJP and the Congress since 2009, this is for the first time over a period of two-and-a-half decades that Patnaik has earned praise from the grand old party. All along, Patnaik was criticised for supporting the BJP and its policies. The BJP’s RS MP and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was elected to the Upper House of Parliament twice in support of the BJD.

The four RS seats from Odisha fall vacant after the tenure of four MPs - Niranjan Bishi, Munna Khan, Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar - ends in April this year Meanwhile, Misra, a former corporate honcho with long experience in industries and economy, said, “I express my gratitude to BJD president Naveen Patnaik and party leaders for giving me the opportunity in the RS polls. I accept it humbly.” Hota also hailed Patnaik for reposing faith in him and said, "I will work tirelessly for the improvement in the health sector in the state and the country".

Meanwhile, Misra’s nomination as a BJD candidate was objected to by senior leader Pravat Biswal, who was subsequently expelled from the party. PTI AAM BDC AAM NN