Congress backs Orissa businessman for Rajya Sabha

BHUBANESWAR - Orissa’s opposition Congress has backed businessman Tara Patnaik as an Independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, a party leader said Monday.

Patnaik submitted his nomination papers with the Congress proposing his name.

“We don’t have the required numbers to field a candidate of our own, therefore we supported him,” Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh told IANS.

“He has also the support of several Independent assembly members,” Bhupinder Singh, one of the proposers, said.

Patnaik said after filing his nomination that he has friends in all parties and would get support from them.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which earlier said it would abstain from voting to remain equidistance from both the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the opposition Congress, said it is reviewing its decision following the request by some of its legislators and party leaders.

Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu is scheduled to arrive in Bhubaneswar June 10 to discuss the issue and a final decision will be taken after that, party’s state chief Jual Oram told IANS.

The state has three vacancies coming up in the upper house of parliament with the BJD’s Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, the Congress’ Radhakanta Naik and the BJP’s Bhagirathi Majhi completing their tenures July 1.

The BJD has renominated Mohapatra for the poll to be held June 17. It has also fielded former legislator Sashi Bhusan Behera and its general secretary Baishnab Parida for the other two seats.

In the 147-member assembly, the BJD has 103 members, Congress 27, BJP six, Nationalist Congress Party four and the Communist Party of India one. There are six Independent members.