BJP's Debashish Samantaray elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Odisha
Bhubaneswar, June 11
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Debashish Samantaray was on Thursday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha, as no other candidate was in the fray for the lone vacant seat.
Samantaray had earlier filed his nomination papers for the by-election to the lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha at the State Assembly premises here on June 5.
According to the election schedule, nominations closed on June 8, while June 11 was the last date for withdrawal of candidature. Meanwhile, voting, if necessary, and the counting of votes are scheduled for June 18. With no other aspirants in the fray after the withdrawal deadline expired on Thursday, Samantaray was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.
After being elected, Samantaray said, "I have been re-elected to the Rajya Sabha as a BJP candidate, so I extend my gratitude to BJP national president Nitin Navin, PM Modi, BJP state president Manmohan Samal and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. BJP welcomed me to the party, and I will work dedicatedly for the party. I will work to strengthen the party in every way I can and carry out the responsibilities entrusted to me by the party."
Notably, the Rajya Sabha seat has been lying vacant since Samantaray's resignation from the membership of the Upper House of Parliament on May 25. He had also resigned from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on the same day in a letter addressed to BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, citing continuous sidelining within the party.
His resignation from the Rajya Sabha brought down the regional party's strength in the Upper House to five members.
The former BJD heavyweight later joined the ruling BJP on May 26. It is worth noting that the three-time MLA was also elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from the Tirtol and Barabati-Cuttack constituencies during 2000-2004, 2009-2014 and 2014-2019.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Another classic case of "resignation drama" followed by "welcome to ruling party" script. The people of Odisha deserve better than such political transactions. But no other candidate dared to contest - shows how strong the BJP machinery is in the state now.
Samantaray is a seasoned politician with three terms as MLA. His move from BJD to BJP was expected given the recent political realignments in Odisha. The Rajya Sabha seat was lying vacant since his resignation anyway. Hope he uses his experience for Odisha's development! 🙏
Nobody contested against BJP? That's telling. Either the opposition has given up or there's a larger understanding behind the scenes. Democracy needs competition, yaar. But kudos to Samantaray for his quick adaptation - from BJD loyalist to BJP star in 48 hours! 😅
I remember when Samantaray was a strong BJD voice in Rajya Sabha. Now he's thanking Modi and BJP leadership. Politics is indeed a strange game. But if he works sincerely for Odisha's farmers and youth, it doesn't matter which party he's in. Actions speak louder than party hoppings! 💪
The speed at which this happened - resignation on May 25, joining BJP on May 26, and re-elected to Rajya Sabha by June 11! Must have been planned well in advance. This is what they call 'political engineering' in Odisha. BJD must be feeling the heat as their Rajya Sabha strength drops to 5. 🔥
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