Bhubaneswar: BJP candidate Mamata Mohanta was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha unopposed in the bypoll Tuesday, a source said.
Mamata was the sole candidate in the fray after BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan, who had filed his nomination as an independent, withdrew his nomination today.
Party sources said Pradhan had filed his nomination as a dummy candidate as part of the BJP’s strategy for an alternative plan in case Mamata’s nomination was rejected.
Mohanta, a leader of the Kudumi community from Mayurbhanj district, had quit the BJD and resigned as its Rajya Sabha MP in July, forcing the by-poll. She switched over to the BJP, which nominated her as its candidate.
BJP has 74 MLAs in the 147-member Assembly and also enjoys the support of three Independent legislators.
The BJD and the Congress have 51 and 14 MLAs, respectively. Along with one CPM member, the opposition does not have the numbers to corner the seat.
There are 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha, BJD holds eight of them while the BJP has one. One seat got vacant after Mohanta’s resignation. The polling for 12 vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha, including the one from Odisha, was scheduled for September 3.
PNN & Agencies