Bhubaneswar: With the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the Rajya Sabha poll schedule, Congress on Wednesday announced that the party is set to field a candidate for the upcoming polls in Odisha despite lacking adequate number of MLAs.
Shortly after the ECI’s announcement, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ramachandra Kadam stated that the party will field one candidate for the biennial election in the state.
Though the Congress does not have adequate number of legislators in the state Assembly, the party is open to support from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for which talks are likely to be held, he said.
Stating that Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Bhakta Charan Das is likely to meet BJD president and hold discussions with him in this regard, Kadam said the party is also open to fielding a joint candidate backed by both outfits.
Notably, the ECI has announced that the biennial election to 37 Rajya Sabha seats, including four in Odisha, would be held on March 16.
The terms of Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan from Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will come to an end on April 2.
Earlier, PCC president Bhakta Charan Das had made a major statement, making it clear that the party is not bothered about defeat or victory. Congress will field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, despite not having the required number of legislators, he had said, adding that the party has decided on the names of three or four people.
The party will discuss this with the high command for finalising a candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, the PCC chief said. “Congress will definitely fight alone in the Rajya Sabha polls. Anyone from within or outside the party can be nominated,” Das said.
It may be noted that BJP currently has 82 MLAs, BJD 50, and Congress 14 members in the 147-member Assembly.
Das had also stated that he is expected to meet BJD president in February and that he had sought an appointment with Naveen, and the proposed meeting is likely to focus on exploring a political tie up between the two parties.
As per sources, the PCC chief may propose the idea of fielding a joint candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls as part of efforts to build opposition unity against the ruling BJP. Das had indicated that discussions could revolve around jointly supporting a distinguished personality from Odisha for the Upper House.
However, it remains uncertain whether BJD would extend its support to such a proposal. It is also not certain whether Naveen would show willingness to meet the Congress leader.
“Congress and BJD are opposition parties. If we unite, a candidate can win. Though we are not sure whether they (BJD) would join hands with us, I have sought his (Naveen Patnaik’s) time for a meeting to discuss the matter,” Das had said earlier.
While four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha are set to fall vacant, the fourth seat has emerged as the focal point of political speculation. There has been a wide range of speculations over possible alignments.
