Acharya, Das, Rao set to become BJD Rajya Sabha Members

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: There senior leaders of the Biju Janata Dal – Prasanna Acharya, Bishnu Charan Das and N.Bhaskar Rao are all set to become the party’s new Rajya Sabha Members.The names of the three were announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and BJD president here on Friday afternoon.While Acharya has been a two-time Lok Sabha Member and a former Minister, Das is a former Minister, and Rao is the Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board.The three leaders represent three different regions of Odisha.Acharya hails from Bargarh in western Odisha, Das, a Dalit leader, hails from Jagatsinghpur and Rao hails from Rayagada in southern Odisha.The last date of filing of nomination papers is May 31 and the elections for the three Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled to be held on June 11.The three leaders are set to be elected without any hitch since BJD has the required number of legislators in the State Assembly.They will go in place of Baishnab Parida and Bhupinder Singh, and Independent Member Pyarimohan Mohapatra whose term in the upper House of Parliament comes to end on July 1.