Bhubaneswar: Senior leader and former Union Minister Dilip Ray on Tuesday announced that he will contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha election from Odisha as an independent candidate.
While declaring his entry into the biennial poll race, Ray told reporters that he would file his nomination on March 5. He will be entering the race for the crucial fourth seat.
The senior leader further stated that he has already held discussions with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and state BJP president Manmohan Samal regarding the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. “I have also spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” he said.
Notably, election is slated to be held on March 16 for four Rajya Seats from the state. Four members of the upper house of Parliament are set to retire on April 2.
Following his announcement, BJP’s Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal said the saffron party has taken a decision to extend support to Ray’s candidature. While Ray would make his own efforts, BJP would provide full backing to ensure his victory, Samal said.
In the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly, the BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents, giving it an effective strength of 82 votes. The 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.
While BJP has the numbers to comfortably secure two seats, BJD is in a position to win one. BJP has fielded Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar as its official candidates. On the other hand, BJD has nominated Santrupt Mishra for its assured seat and named Dr Datteswar Hota as a common candidate for the fourth seat. Congress has already announced its support to Hota.
With Dilip Ray now entering the fray as an independent candidate backed by BJP, the battle for the fourth seat has become particularly intriguing.