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Newly elected Rajya Sabha member Dilip Ray on Tuesday visited the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri, in Odisha, to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath.
During his visit, he expressed gratitude at being supported by various political parties, including the BJP, BJD, and Congress, for their repeated election to the Rajya Sabha. "I last contested for the Rajya Sabha in 2002 and served until 2008. Now, after that, this is the third time I am entering the Rajya Sabha. This time, I stood as an independent candidate, and the BJP leadership has supported me fully. Brothers and sisters from the BJD and Congress have also supported me; everyone came together to bring about this victory. That is why I have come here to Lord Jagannath to offer my thanks. I can only say this: whatever is within my power, I will dedicate myself completely to the development of Odisha," Ray told reporters. Earlier on Monday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated the winning candidates of the Rajya Sabha elections, calling their "victory" an important milestone in the collective resolve to build a "Samruddha Odisha". In a post on X, Majhi extended his greetings to the party's state president Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar and BJP-supported Independent candidate Dilip Ray on their election to the Upper House. He added that, inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas", he wished the newly elected members success in their journey ahead. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar, Bihar's longest-tenured Chief Minister for over two decades, announced that he would be heading to the Rajya Sabha and filed his nomination in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among other leaders. The 75-year-old also said that the new Cabinet would have his full support. Apart from Nitish Kumar, other NDA candidates, including Upendra Kushwaha and BJP chief Nitin Nabin, also filed their nominations for the Upper House. The biennial Rajya Sabha elections are being held to fill 37 seats across 10 states. Out of the 37 seats, 26 candidates have already been elected unopposed, while voting is being held for the remaining 11 seats, including four from Bihar. (ANI)
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