Odia daily editor and KISS chief join BJD, may get Rajya Sabha nominations

BHUBANESWAR: Paving the way for a Rajya Sabha ticket for himself, president of the Ama Odisha Party (AOP) and editor of Odia daily 'Sambad' Soumya Ranjan Patnaik joined BJD here on Wednesday after much speculation.

Founder of KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) and KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) Achyuta Samanta also joined BJD along with Patnaik. Samanta, too, is expected to get a nomination for Rajya Sabha along with Patnaik.

The BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik will formally announce nominations for the Upper House in the evening.

Speculations were rife about Patnaik joining BJD ever since he met the chief minister at New Delhi. With Patnaik and Samanta joining BJD, there is now a clear indication about Rajya Sabha nominations for the three vacancies from the.

Besides Patnaik and Samanta, Dileep Tirkey is likely to be re-nominated for Rajya Sabha. The term of AV Swami, AU Singhdeo and Dilip Tirkey ends on April 3 in the Upper House giving rise to three vacancies.

Welcoming Patnaik and Samanta to the BJD, the chief minister said both of them will be assets for the party.  “Patnaik will be a tremendous asset for the BJD,” Naveen said.

Patnaik said he has not set any terms and conditions before joining the BJD and added that he will continue to protest against chit fund scam and work for farmers.

Samanta said he joined BJD because of the social development works and the good governance of Naveen Patnaik.