Odisha Prepares for Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP and BJD Issue Whips

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a whip on Friday mandating its MLAs to be present in the State Assembly for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, scheduled for March 16. Saroj Kumar Pradhan, the State Legislative Assembly Chief Whip, instructed the party's legislators to ensure their attendance during the voting process.

Concurrently, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik also issued a similar directive to his party's MLAs, urging them to attend crucial meetings in Bhubaneswar as a lead-up to the polls. The schedule includes mandatory sessions at Naveen Nivas on March 13 and 14 for a presentation and training program from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm, with an additional legislative party meeting on March 15.

As part of the preparations, the BJD has declared Santrupt Misra as its candidate, while the BJP has put forward Odisha party chief Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar. These elections aim to fill four Upper House seats in Odisha, with polling scheduled across 10 states to fill 37 seats overall. The term expiration for current members from various states, including Odisha, will see new members elected this April.