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BJD's Debashish Samantaray thanked Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after being elected as Rajya Sabha MP.
"I am elected to the Rajya Sabha and I feel grateful to my leader Naveen Patnaik. By the blessings of lord Jagannath, my name is declared," expressed Samantaray. Speaking on what demands Debashish Samantaray will raise for the development and betterment of the state, he said, "Many things in the federal structure can be worked upon. One among them is how to develop good relations between the state and the centre. Special category status is one of our demands from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There are many reasons attached to why Odisha must get that status." Further emphasising the state's demand to attain 'Special category status', Samantaray said, "We are a minerally rich state. All over the country our mineral resources are transported and used. The state's mineral resources will be exhausted in the next couple of decades. To replenish these resources we need a special category status." "We demand special category status for the state so that the state and its people never face any problem regarding its development in the future," he concluded. Notably, the term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members. The Election Commission has scheduled the Rajya Sabha elections for 15 states for February 27. Voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on this date. The results of the elections will be announced on the same day, February 27. The Election Commission has announced the biennial Rajya Sabha polls for 56 seats, as the tenure of incumbents ends in April. Out of the total 245 members, 233 are representatives of the States and Union Territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir (w.e.f. 31.10. 2019); 12 are nominated by the President. (ANI)
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