BJD fields Santrupt Misra, Datteswar Hota for Rajya Sabha from Odisha
Party most likely to seek Congress backing for ‘Common candidate’ Hota as numbers game comes into play
Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday officially announced its two nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Odisha, setting the stage for a keenly watched contest in the State Assembly.
BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared that Dr. Santrupt Misra and Dr. Datteswar Hota will represent the party in the Upper House of Parliament.
Dr. Santrupt Misra, a former corporate administrator and senior BJD leader from Cuttack, is currently serving as political secretary to the BJD chief. He had earlier contested the Lok Sabha elections from Cuttack against the BJP’s Bhartruhari Mahatab but was unsuccessful. Within the party, Misra is regarded as a key strategist in strengthening the BJD’s organisational structure.
Dr. Datteswar Hota, on the other hand, is a distinguished urologist whose name has also found resonance beyond party lines. Describing him as a “common candidate,” Naveen Patnaik appealed to all political parties to extend support to Hota to ensure his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Under the electoral arithmetic, each candidate requires at least 30 first-preference votes to secure a Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha. The BJD currently has 48 effective members in the State Assembly, which comfortably ensures Misra’s victory with the party’s 30 first-preference votes. However, after allocating 30 votes to Misra, the BJD will be left with 18 votes — short of the required number for Hota.
The Congress, which holds 14 seats in the Assembly, had earlier proposed Dr. Hota’s name. Political observers believe that a combined effort by the BJD and Congress could see Hota sail through with the necessary numbers.
The announcement brings to a close several days of internal deliberations within the BJD. Senior leaders, along with Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik, had held extensive consultations before finalising the candidates.
With the official declaration of Santrupt Misra and Dr. Datteswar Hota, the BJD has signalled both organisational consolidation and a possible cross-party understanding as it moves into the Rajya Sabha elections with calculated confidence.