Bhubaneswar: Ruling BJD’s Rajya Sabha candidates Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra as well as BJD-backed BJP candidate Ashwini Baishnab filed their respective nomination papers before the Returning Officer and Odisha Legislative Assembly (OLA)’s Secretary here today.
Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra filed nominations one by one in presence of BJD supremo-cum-Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Parliamentary Affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh, several other ministers, senior BJD MLAs and leaders.
Later on, BJD-backed BJP candidate Ashwini Baishnab filed his nomination today along with the two BJD candidates. During his filing of nomination papers, BJD supremo-cum-Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was conspicuous by his absence due to prior official engagements.
During Baishnab’s filing of nomination, senior BJP MLAs Pradipta Naik and Jaynarayan Mishra were prominent among others present there.
Sources informed that, Sasmit Patra’s tenure in the Upper House will be till 2022 while Amar Patnaik and Ashwini Baishnab’s tenure will be till 2024.
The Rajya Sabha by-polls have been necessitated following the vacant posts of three Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha quota due to the elections of three former BJD Rajya Sabha members as MP (Achyuta Samant) to Lok Sabha and as MLAs (Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and Pratap Keshari Deb) to the Odisha Assembly in the recently concluded general elections.
Even though another Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha quota has also been lying vacant as the then member of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of Parliament, Anubhav Mohanty has also been elected to the Lower House (Lok Sabha), his left-out tenure as the Rajya Sabha member is less for which the by-poll is of no need, sources claimed.
Notably, filing of nomination papers has been slated between 11 am and 3 p.m. before June 25 (Tuesday) while nomination papers will be taken up for scrutiny on the June 26 (Wednesday) at the Conference Hall (Ground floor) of the Assembly Building. Last date of withdrawal of nomination is on June 28.
In the event of the election being contested, the poll will be taken on the 5th July, 2019 (Friday) between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm in the Committee Room No. 54 of the Odisha Legislative Assembly Secretariat Buildings, Bhubaneswar. Counting of votes will be done from 5 pm onwards on that very day.