RS polls: BJD to support BJP's Ashwini Vaishnaw in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Feb 14 (PTI) The ruling BJD on Wednesday announced its support for the candidature of BJP's Ashwini Vaishnaw in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha.

The candidature of Union minister Vaishnaw was announced by the BJP earlier this morning.

Soon after the development, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a statement said, the BJD supports Vaishnaw's candidature for the "larger interest of the state's railways and telecom development".

"The Biju Janata Dal will support the candidature of Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister, Railways, Communication and Information and technology for the larger interest of state's railways and telecom development in the ensuing election to Rajya Sabha-2024," Patnaik said in the statement.

Vaishnaw was elected to the Upper House of Parliament with the BJD's support in 2019.

Earlier on Tuesday, two BJD candidates Debashish Samantaray and Subhasish Khuntia filed their nomination papers for the elections to be held on February 27. The BJD had kept the third seat vacant.

With Wednesday being a public holiday in Odisha on account of Saraswati Puja, Vaishnaw is likely to file his nomination papers on Thursday, the last date for the submission of documents for the Rajya Sabha elections.

Three Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha will fall vacant as the terms of Vaishnaw, Amar Patnaik and Prashanta Nanda in the Upper House are due to end in April this year. PTI