With three Rajya Sabha seats from Orissa going to fall vacant on April 3, the race for grabbing the hot seats has just begun.
RS members who are going to complete their term include Kishore Mohanty of the BJD, Rudranarayan Pany of the BJP and Sushila Tiria of the Congress.
The ruling BJD, which has got 103 seats in the 147-member state Assembly, is confident of getting two of its candidate elected as each candidate requires at least 37 first preference votes. For the third seat, the party strategists are relying on the support of Independents and three NCP legislators. Besides, the party might effect “cross-voting” or abstentions in the opposition camp as it did in 2011.
One BJP legislator and two Congress MLAs did not participate in the polls citing personal and health problems, thus facilitating win of the BJD’s third candidate. Two of the Naveen Patnaik’s ministers were accused of adopting horse-trading to ensure victory of their third candidate Baishnab Charana Jena.
“We hope to get support of the Independents and NCP, our alliance partner to get the third candidate elected,” said BJD leader Pyarimohan Mohapatra.
The Opposition Congress and the BJP have got 27 and six members, respectively. They need support of four more members which they want to get from the Independents. However, leaders of both the parties are yet to decide if they would contest the polls.
“We have not yet decided on the RS elections. We will consult with the central leaders of the party on the matter and then take a decision,” Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said.
BJP state president Jual Oram said, “I will talk to the party leaders within a day or two and take their opinion whether or not to fight the RS polls.”
In 2011, the Congress and BJP had supported Independent Tara Ranjan Patnaik. He was, however, defeated because of mysterious abstentions by two Congress and one BJP MLAs.
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Navy divers recover body of fisherman
age CORRESPONDENT
ALAPPUZHA, MARCH 4
The body of one of the three fishermen who went missing after a merchant vessel rammed into their boat on March 1 was recovered by Naval divers off Alappuzha coast on Sunday.
The deceased, identified as Santhosh, 28, of Pallithottam, Kollam district, was unearthed by naval team following search operation being carried out off Manakkodam light house. The operation for other two fishermen has been intensified. The body was discovered at 10.30 am along with wreckage of the boat and brought to Thottappally harbour at 4 pm by a fishing boat Jackson. Herman, uncle of Santhosh, alleged that the fishermen had not been getting sincere support from the government to trace out missing fishermen