Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw files nomination for Rajya Sabha polls from Odisha

Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw filed nomination here on Thursday for his re-election to Upper House of Parliament from Odisha.

Mr. Vaishnaw came to State Legislative Assembly accompanied by State BJP president Manmohan Samal and other party MLAs earlier in the day.

The former 1994-batch Odisha-cadre officer has been fielded by the BJP although the party does not have requisite numbers in the Assembly to ensure his victory.

Minutes after declaration of his candidature by the BJP on Wednesday, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) issued an official statement extending its support to him. The regional party said its support was in the larger interest of the State.

Unlike in 2019 when he came to file his nomination with both the BJP and the BJD leaders, only saffron party leaders were present. With BJD’s support, Mr. Vaishnaw’s re-election to Rajya Sabha has been ensured.

Mr. Vaishnaw expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the opportunity to serve the people again.

Earlier, Debashish Samantaray, former BJD legislator, and Subhasish Khuntia, BJD youth wing vice-president filed nomination for Rajya Sabha poll.