Bhubaneswar: BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan today filed his nominations for the Rajya Sabha by-election as an Independent candidate.
Hours after the party nominee Mamata Mohanta filed the nomination, Pradhan moved to the returning officer with 10 proponents and filed the paper. Chhendipada BJP MLA Agasti Behera and nine other party legislators are the proponents. All the MLAs were present during the filing of the nomination of paper.
Earlier in the day, Mamata Mohanta who is the official candidate of BJP, filed her nominations in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, BJP state president Manmohan Samal, Odisha in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar and other senior leaders.
Mamata Mohanta, who recently joined the BJP after quitting BJD, was announced as the party candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-poll.
It is speculated that BJP might field Pradhan as a dummy candidate even as he clarified that he is contesting the election independently.
