BJD Supports Ashwini Vaishnaw's Rajya Sabha Nomination From Odisha, Here's List Of Four BJP Candidates From Madhya Pradesh

Soon after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the Rajya Sabha candidature of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from Odisha, Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supported his candidature.

BJD has enough numbers to send three candidates to the Upper House. However, it fielded only two -- former MLA Debashish Samantaray and young face Subhashis Khuntia, and decided to support the BJP candidate.

Patnaik's letter says that Vaishnaw is Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Minister, and hence, "for the larger interest of state's railways and telecom development", they support him.

In 2019 also, the BJD had supported Vaishnaw after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Patnaik. He was then elected unopposed.

Vaishnaw hails from Rajasthan's Jodhpur but has had an Odisha connection since his earlier days as an IAS officer when he served as district collector of Balasore and Cuttack.

Another Union Minister Dr L Murugan was nominated for Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. He is a Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Information and Broadcasting.

The other three nominees from Madhya Pradesh are Ujjain saint Umesh Nath Maharaj, MP BJP's Mahila Morcha president Maya Naroliya and BJP Kisan Morcha's national vice-president Banshilal Gurjar.

Notably, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh. Since his name does not appear on the list, he is likely to contest Lok Sabha elections from Odisha.

Earlier, it was speculated that Vaishnaw might also contest Lok Sabha elections but he has now been nominated for Rajya Sabha. Pradhan earlier represented Odisha's Deogarh constituency before the 2008 delimitation.