Bhubaneswar: The Rajya Sabha members from Odisha those who got elected in the recent elections are in dilemma. Whether they would be allowed to switch over to the sta tus of elected representatives or continue as RS members is the question that haunts them all.
All of them are now looking at BJD party supreme Naveen Patnaik for his final decision.
Naveen had fielded 6 RS members in the elections to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that was held in April, this year. Out of this 4 have got elected. While Achyut Samant and Anubhav Mohanty have got elected as Kandhmal and Kendrapara MPs, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and Pratap Deb have been elected as Khandpada and Aul MLAs. On the other hand, Prasanna Acharya has lost the Bargarh Lok Sabha election and Sarojini Hembram lost Baripada assembly election.
After their defeat, the political fate of Prasanna Acharya and Sarojini Hembrum is hanging in balance. Will Naveen allow them to continue in the RS or ask them to step down? Whether the four RS members elected in April election will resign from RS and serve as Lok Sabha and assembly members.
During the course of ticket distribution for the elections Naveen had promised RS berths to many leaders who were denied tickets in a bid to assuage their feelings. So he had to make space in the RS to keep his promises. Bhubaneswar former MP Prasanna Patsani and Berhampur former MLA Ramesh Choupatnaik are claiming that they have been promised RS berths by Naveen.
India Whispers overheard that Naveen is going ask Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and Pratap Deb to continue as RS MP. He would prefer by elections to Khanapada and Aul vacated by them along with Patkura and one of the seats of Hinjili and Bijepur opted out by him. On the other hand, he is going to allow Prasanna and Sarojini to continue in the RS till the end of their tenure.
Naveen with 112 members in the assembly is in a quite comfortable position to elect two persons in place of Anubhav Mohanty and Achyut Samant.
