Odisha Rajya Sabha Election: Ashwini Vaishnaw, Debashish Samantray, Subhashish Khuntia Win Unopposed

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, BJDs Debashish Samantray, and Subhashish Khuntia were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha. The announcement was made after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Tuesday afternoon.

In a significant political development, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders Debashish Samantray and Subhashish Khuntia, have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha. The Returning Officer, Abanikanta Patnaik, officially announced the names of the elected candidates after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations concluded on Tuesday afternoon.

Vaishnaw's Gratitude and BJD Leaders' Acknowledgement

Expressing his gratitude, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, "I am honored to have received this opportunity to serve the nation. I pray to Lord Jagannath for the strength and energy to work diligently for the welfare of the people." Meanwhile, BJD leaders Samantray and Khuntia expressed their sincere gratitude to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for entrusting them with the responsibility of representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha. They sought the blessings of Lord Jagannath to effectively champion the interests of Odisha within the framework of federalism.

BJP's Vaishnaw Re-elected with BJD Support

Notably, BJP candidate and current Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw secured re-election to the Rajya Sabha with the support of the ruling BJD. Vaishnaw submitted his nomination on the last day of the nomination filing process on February 15, while the two BJD candidates had filed their nominations on February 13. Although the BJD possessed the requisite numbers in the Odisha Assembly to secure all three Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in April this year, the party strategically chose to field only two candidates, leaving one seat for BJP's Vaishnaw.

BJD's Support for Vaishnaw in the Larger Interest

The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD extended its support to Vaishnaw, considering the larger interest of the state's railways and telecom development. This decision echoes a similar gesture made by Patnaik in 2019 when he supported Vaishnaw's first election to the Upper House of Parliament. The BJD's backing of Vaishnaw, a former Odisha cadre IAS officer, materialized following a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Patnaik in June 2019.

Unnecessary Election Averted

Given that the number of candidates matched the number of vacant seats, the Returning Officer confirmed that there was no requirement for an election. The tenure of the three outgoing Rajya Sabha members - Ashwini Vaishnaw, BJD's Prashant Nanda, and Amar Patnaik - will conclude in April this year, necessitating the election process to fill the upcoming vacancies.