4 BJD candidates set to be elected unopposed to RS

All four BJD candidates were set to win Rajya Sabha election upposed as opposition BJP and Congress h t fielded any minee for March 26 polls in Odisha, and minations of four Independent candidates were expected to be rejected on technical grounds, officials said on Friday.

Friday was last date for filing of minations for biennial polls.

A total of eight persons, including four Independent candidates, h filed ir mination papers for four Rajya Sabha seats, Odisha Assembly secretary-cum-returning officer for March 26 polls Dasarathi Satpathy told PTI.

Sources, however, said ne of four Independent candidates -- Ganeswar Mishra, Mamata Samantaray, L P Singh and B Hembram -- h found 10 proposers, as required to make ir minations valid.

ir candidature will be rejected during scrutiny of papers on March 16, y said.

While Congress could t field any candidate as it lacked at least 10 proposers to back its minee, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hesitated to contest Rajya Sabha polls as it h only 23 members in state Assembly, while a candidate required at least 29 first-preference votes to win polls in Odisha.

While ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has 113 MLAs in state, BJP has 23, followed by nine of Congress and one of CPI(M). re is also an Independent legislator.

Under such circumstances, BJD's Subhas Singh, Munna Khan, Sujit Kumar and Mamata Mahanta are all set to get elected to Upper House of Parliament.

While Singh, an OBC, is a tre unionist, Khan, a party old-timer and close associate of late BJD founder Biju Patnaik, comes from Muslim community.

Kumar, who was an visor to Special Development Council, is a general category candidate and hails from Kalahandi district. Mahanta is a BJD women's wing member from Mayurbhanj district.

Four of 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha will fall vacant on April 2, after completion of tenure of BJD lawmakers Anubhav Mohanty, Narendra Kumar Swain and Sarojini Hembram and Congress member Ranjib Biswal.