Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 22: A hard bargain is going on for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha as none of the major parties has the required number to win it on their own strength. A non-political and non-controversial person is likely to be sent this time as a consensus candidate.

The ruling BJD, which has 108 MLAs in the 147-member Assembly, is sure to win three Rajya Sabha seats as a candidate requires 30 first preference votes for an outright victory. It will have 18 surplus votes for the fourth seat after winning three seats.

However, BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik holds the card close to his chest as to whom he would send to the Upper House this time from the party. Ministers, MLAs and people from different sections of society have already met the chief minister and expressed their keenness to contest for the fourth seat.

Chairperson of Western Odisha Development Council Padmini Sekhar Deo is keen for the post. She has already taken the nomination form from the Assembly. Nearly 300 aspirants have approached the party for a Rajya Sabha ticket.

Sources said even BJD’s vice-president and Naveen’s Doon School mate A.U. Singh Deo, who is eager to promote his younger son in Balangir politics, has expressed keenness to go the Rajya Sabha. Deo, along with his sons Kalikesh and Arkesh, had already organised a rally a fortnight back.

Even one of the younger ministers from Naveen’s cabinet is also eager for the Rajya Sabha seat. The outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Mangala Kisan and Renubala Pradhan are also keen on a second term.

“No one knows what is in the mind of Naveen at this moment. When we are not sure about our three candidates, there is no point talking about the fourth seat at the moment,” said a senior BJD leader.

Odisha Cricket Association secretary Ashirbad Behera, who had successfully organised Yadav Samabesh last week, is also keen for the post. The others leaders who are in the race includes deputy chairman of the state planning board Surendra Nath Nayak.

In order to push the Congress to the wall, BJD is planning to send a non-controversial person, who is above party politics, to the Upper House. The front-runner among them is renowned sculptor Padmabhusan Raghunath Mohapatra. The others who are in the race are noted film director Nilamadhab Panda and renowned sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik.

Sources said Mohapatra had already approached both the BJD and the Congress seeking their support to his candidature.

“We have no objection if he secures Congress support,” said a BJD insider.

On the other hand, the Congress, which has 27 members, will be three short of the required number to win the fourth seat. Party sources said there was pressure from the senior leaders to field an official candidate this time.

Senior leaders like former Union minister Kanhu Charan Lenka, former MP and cricket star Ranjib Biswal and outgoing Rajya Sabha member Rama Chandra Khuntia were interested for a party ticket. Senior Congress leader and former minister Dolagobinda Pradhan has already picked up a set of nomination form today. The BJP, which has six members in the Assembly, may play a decisive role in the Rajya Sabha polls.

“Neither the BJD nor the Congress have approached us to support a consensus candidate for the fourth seat. We are adopting a wait-and-watch policy,” said BJP’s spokesperson Suresh Pujari.