KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidates Prashanta Nanda, Dr. Achyuta Samanta and Soumya Ranjan Patnaik have been elected uncontested to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha, informed Returning Officer Rajesh Prabhakar Patil on Thursday afternoon.
Since the deadline for withdrawing the nominations was set at 3 PM today, the three BJD candidates were elected uncontested as the Members of Rajya Sabha from the state, Patil added.
Three BJD leaders had filed their nominations on March 9 for elections to the three seats to the Upper House of Parliament and their respective nomination papers were found to be valid during the scrutiny held on March 13.
However, nomination papers filed by independent candidate Subash Mohapatra were rejected in this regard.
Meanwhile, Nanda and Patnaik received their winning certificate today, while Dr. Samanta would receive the same on Saturday as he is in Manipur to attend the 105th Indian Science Congress.
“In Rajya Sabha, we will definitely raise our voice for the larger interest of Odisha,” said Nanda soon after getting elected unopposed to the Upper House of the Parliament.
On his part, newly elected Rajya Sabha MP Patnaik said, ” I will not neglect to raise voice on issues related to Odisha, particularly for the cause of Odia language and farmers.”
Three seats in Rajya Sabha from the state will fall vacant as the tenure of BJD Members AU Singhdeo and Dilip Tirkey as well as BJD-backed Independent candidate AV Swami is scheduled to end on April 2.
Kalinga AI