KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: Putting all speculation to the rest, former Bhubaneswar MP, President of Ama Odisha Party and Editor of Odia daily ‘Sambad’ Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is all set to join BJD today. He will join the state ruling party at Naveen Niwas in the presence of BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The Ama Odisha Party’s President joining is considered to be a great development in the Odisha politics as BJD is all set to name its candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha today.
After BJD President had declared that the regional party will send three politicians to the Upper House of the Parliament, there were rumors that Soumya Ranjan Patnaik would be one of the three candidates. However, with his joining today, it is almost sure that the former Bhubaneswar MP will be going to the Rajya Sabha.
Notably, 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.
Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is a Media Baron-turned-politician and younger brother of former PCC President Niranjan Patnaik and son-in-law of former Assam Governor and Odisha CM Janaki Ballav Patnaik.
Born on August 18, 1952, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik was elected to 11th Lok Sabha from Bhubaneswar on Congress ticket. However, he had left Congress and joined BJP. Later, he returned to Congress.
In November 2013, he had formed the Ama Odisha Party after he was expelled from the grand old party for alleged ‘anti-party activities’.
Ms Kalinga