Bhubaneswar: BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan, who had raised eyebrows by entering the Rajya Sabha bypoll fray from Odisha, withdrew his nomination on Tuesday.
“I had filed nomination as per the decision of the party. Again, on the instruction of my party, I withdrew the nomination today. The BJP leadership had given me the task, and I carried it out as a disciplined member of the party,” he told reporters.
Pradhan filed nomination for Rajya Sabha by-election as an independent candidate on August 21, an hour after BJP nominee Mamata Mahanta did so before the returning officer in Bhubaneswar. He was seen as a dummy candidate and part of the party’s strategy to provide a safety cushion in case Mamata’s nomination gets rejected. It was also said that he will take back his nomination on the date of withdrawal. And this was later confirmed by BJP MLA Purna Sethi.
Following the withdrawal of nomination by Pradhan, Mamata was declared elected unopposed being the lone candidate in the fray. She later went to Odisha Legislative Assembly to collect the election certificate.
Given BJP’s strength in the 147-member Odisha Assembly, election of the tribal leader from Kudumi community of Mayurbhanj district to the seat in the Upper House, which she vacated as a BJD member on July 31 with 18 months left for the end of her 6-year term and later joined BJP, was a foregone conclusion.
The saffron party has 78 MLAs in the 147-member Assembly and also the support of three Independent MLAs. The BJD and the Congress have 51 and 14 MLAs respectively. Along with one CPM member, the Opposition neither had the numbers to corner the seat nor did they field any candidate.
With this, the number of BJP members in Rajya Sabha from Odisha has gone up to two.
Ashwini Vaishnaw was elected earlier this year with support from the BJD. And Mamata’s resignation was seen as an alleged attempt by the saffron party under ‘Operation Lotus’ to increase is tally in the House of Elders, where it lacks majority crucial for passing important bills, as the BJD with 9 MPs shifted to a strong opposition stance in Parliament, fighting for Odisha’s interests, after the drubbing in the 2024 twin elections.
Election for the 12 vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha, including the lone seat from Odisha, was scheduled for September 3.
