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Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das on Thursday said that the Indian National Congress, Biju Janata Dal and Communist Party of India (Marxist) have decided to support a joint candidate, Datteshwar Hota, for the Rajya Sabha elections.
Speaking to ANI, Das said the decision was taken considering Hota's work and his non-partisan background. "Congress, BJD and CPI(M) have all decided to support the joint candidate Datteshwar Hota. Considering his work, we decided that he is a good person. He doesn't belong to any party, so all the like-minded parties can support him," Das said. He also said that Naveen Patnaik was clear about the decision and called it a significant step in the current political situation of Odisha. "Naveen Patnaik was very clear on this matter. Given Odisha's situation, he has taken a revolutionary step," he added. "Odisha had four Rajya Sabha seats, three of which were clear, but one was unclear. Therefore, the BJD and Congress could have contested that seat together. To explore that possibility, to prevent horse-trading, and to make a decision in the best interest of the state, the candidate should have been someone who was neither in the BJD nor the Congress, but rather an educated person from Odisha, a son of an Odia who had worked for the people. We had said this before. We had asked Naveen Patnaik for time 8-10 days ago; he gave us time, and he also shared the same opinion. He was also strongly against horse-trading in Rajya Sabha elections. In such a situation, Naveen Patnaik has announced a joint candidate," Bhakta Charan Das said. The polling for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm. The term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected. The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9. The election process will be completed by March 20. (ANI)
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