BJD Backs NDA Candidate For RS Deputy Chairperson Election

Bhubaneswar: Putting to rest the political speculation over BJD’s stand in the election to the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson post Thursday, the regional party extended its support to the NDA backed Janata Dal-United (JD-U) candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh.

Justifying its support to the NDA candidate after the announcement to this effect by party president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday, the BJD in a press release on Thursday said that in a parliamentary democracy, leaders holding constitutional positions should be unanimously elected. In this respect, the election of the deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha should be unanimous.

“The BJD had expected that there would be a unanimous election of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman. But it did not happen as the NDA nominated the JD-U candidate and the united opposition nominated the Congress candidates for the post,” the release said.

With regard to its support the JD-U candidate, the release said the BJD and JD-U have the same political ideologies and the two parties have emerged from the Jayaprakash Narayan movement.

Clarifying its decision on not supporting BK Hariprasad, the candidate of the united opposition, the BJD said the Congress was in charge of Odisha party affairs and had been giving statements against the BJD leaders and the state government.

Briefing mediapersons on his party’s stand in the election after arriving at Naveen Niwas from Mumbai on Wednesday night, the BJD supremo had said his party would support the NDA candidate.

“Mr Nitish Kumar had spoken to me. So we will be supporting the JD-U candidate for the election of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson,” the Chief Minister said.

He also said that the Prime Minister and the BJP National President Amit Shad had also spoken to him a few days ago about the matter. “The JD-U candidate is also the candidate of the NDA. We will be supporting him,” he pointed out.

Asked about the BJD’s decision, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said, “The regional party has no other option but to support the NDA candidate. The party is trying its best to stay safe having been haunted by the CBI spectre.”

The OPCC president further said that this decision belies the BJD’s claims of maintaining equi-distance from the BJP and the Congress.

“Since the last four years, the BJD has been supporting the BJP-led NDA government on important policy decisions,” he added.

Refuting the charge of the OPCC president, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said the BJD has been maintaining equi-distance from the BJP and the Congress and will continue to do so in future.

Justifying his contention, Patra said the BJD is not supporting the NDA but the JD-U candidate and the constitutional position.