Singh Deo, Singh set to enter Rajya Sabha

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, June 21: Former Minister A.U.Singh Deo and former Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh were on Saturday named Biju Janata Dal’s candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats for which bypoll was scheduled to be held on July 3.The two seats were vacated by Shashi Bhusan Behera and Rabinarayan Mohapatra, both BJD leaders who resigned as Rajya Sabha Members after they won the recently held Assembly elections.It was not immediately known as to who will file nomination papers for which of the two seats.The last date for filing nomination papers was on June 23, and both were set to elected to the Upper House as BJD has adequate number of legislators in the State Assembly.While the term for the seat vacated by Behera was to end in July 2016, the term for the seat vacated by Mohapatra was to end in April 2018.Both Singh Deo and Singh thanked Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik for choosing them as the party nominees for the Rajya Sabha polls.Both leaders hailed from western region of Odisha.In fact, Singh Deo was elected as a Rajya Sabha Member weeks before the general elections, He, however, had to quit the post since he fought the Assembly election from Bolangir Assembly seat.He lost the Assembly poll.Singh had quit Congress in the run up to the polls.He was not fielded as a candidate in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and was apparently promised a Rajya Sabha berth by Patnaik.