Bhubaneswar: Putting all speculations to rest, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday named eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota and former corporate honcho Santrupt Mishra as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Odisha.
BJD President and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared that Misra and Hota will be the regional party’s nominees for election to the upper house of Parliament.
While Santrupt Misra will be the official candidate of BJD for the assured seat, given the number of MLAs it has in the Odisha assembly, Dr Hota is fielded for the fourth seat. Naveen urged all political parties to support Dr Hota, a distinguished medical professional.
“I appeal to all parties to support Dr Hota and send him to the Rajya Sabha,” the BJD supremo said, expressing optimism about a positive outcome in the upcoming polls.
Significantly, Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das had also mentioned the name of Dr Hota as possible candidate for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat from the state.
Dr Hota, a distinguished medical professional, brings decades of experience in healthcare. His nomination reflects BJD’s emphasis on strengthening representation in public health policy. He was the first Vice Chancellor of the Odisha University of Health Sciences and was also the Principal of the SCB Medical College
Mishra, who had been a corporate leader with global expertise, adds depth in governance and industry, aligning with the party’s vision of combining professional knowledge with political responsibility.
Misra, who joined BJD ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and contested from Cuttack Parliamentary constituency, expressed gratitude to the party leadership for his nomination. “I humbly accept my nomination given by BJD president Naveen Patnaik for the Rajya Sabha poll. I thank the party and my leader for trusting me with this responsibility,” he said.
The announcement comes after days of deliberations within the regional party during which party supremo Naveen Patnaik and other leaders held extensive consultations on potential candidates.
Notably, four seats in the Upper House from Odisha will fall vacant on April 2 following the completion of the tenure of Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan of the BJD, and Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta of the BJP. As per the scheduled announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI), polling for the four seats will be held on March 16.
A glance at the existing political arithmetic shows that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 79 MLAs and support from three Independents in the 147-member Assembly. Therefore, it is poised to secure two seats comfortably.
BJD’s tally stands at 48 following the suspension of two of its legislators last month. The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one.
Under the single transferable vote system used for Rajya Sabha elections, a candidate typically requires around 30-32 first-preference votes to meet the quota (calculated as total valid votes divided by the number of vacancies plus one, plus one).
