Odisha's ruling BJD will field party leaders Prasanna Acharya, Bishnu Charan Das and N Bhaskar Rao in the June 11 Rajya Sabha elections, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced on Friday.
"Three senior leaders of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have been chosen for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha election. They are Prasanna Acharya, Bishnu Charan Das and N Bhaskar Rao," Patnaik, also the party chief, told media persons here.
While Acharya and Das are former ministers, Rao is the deputy chairman of the State Planning Board. Both Das and Acharya had contested unsuccessfully in the assembly elections in 2014.
The trio, all set to win given the numbers of BJD in the assembly, thanked Patnaik for selecting them.
"I thank party president Naveen Patnaik for reposing faith on me. I am a common worker of the party and I would fight for the development of Odisha," said Acharya.
Thanking the party president for nominating him, Das said his dedication to the party yields results. "I have been working for Biju Babu since the time I was a student and the BJD since its inception. I will endeavor to live up to the trust that the party president has reposed on me. I will continue to work hard for the betterment of the stat."
Bhaskar Rao said: "I have always worked for the party and performed according to the direction of Naveen Patnaik. I think it is a reward for what I have done for the party in my area."
--IANS
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