Bhubaneswar: In a rare political crossover for Odisha, the BJD — a party founded on an anti-Congress plank — and the Congress reached an unprecedented understanding over a Rajya Sabha seat.On Saturday, BJD president Naveen Patnaik named corporate leader-turned-politician Santrupt Misra and former Odisha University of Health Sciences (OUHS) vice-chancellor (VC) Dr Datteswar Hota as the party’s nominees.Elections will be held for four seats. While the BJP has the numbers to win two and the BJD is comfortably positioned to secure Misra’s seat, the Congress announced support for Hota, reinforcing Naveen’s appeal to back him as a “common candidate” for the fourth seat.Naveen announced Misra as the party’s candidate for the third seat and projected Hota as the consensus choice for the fourth. A noted urologist, Hota, was the first VC of OUHS and earlier served as principal of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. He is credited to have initiated the kidney transplant programme at SCB.Minutes after Naveen’s announcement, state Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das said he met the BJD president on Monday and proposed a few apolitical eminent personalities acceptable to Congress — Hota being one of them. “We will fully support him. This will send a positive signal across the state and help prevent horse-trading,” Das said, adding that the party high command was aware of the discussions and that Hota also met him regarding the matter.Das, however, flagged one concern — possible pressure on the candidate. “He must withstand any pressure and stay in the fray. We will deliberate on the matter on March 2,” he said.While the BJD supported BJP nominee Ashwini Vaishnaw in 2019 and 2024, this marked the first-time Naveen reached an understanding with the Congress for a seat in the Upper House.If BJD and Congress MLAs vote along party lines, the election of both Misra and Hota should be smooth. Each candidate needs 30 first-preference votes; the BJD has 48 MLAs (excluding two suspended members) and the Congress has 14, giving them a combined strength of 62 — two more than required.Misra’s nomination was widely anticipated. A former senior executive with the Aditya Birla Group, he lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Cuttack as a BJD candidate. He currently serves as Naveen’s political secretary and is also the BJD’s national spokesperson.
