Bhubaneswar: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party scored a major success in the Rajya Sabha elections held in Odisha, Monday.
Of the four seats in the state, the BJP and its supported candidate together secured three seats, while the opposition Biju Janata Dal managed to win only one.
BJP state president Manmohan Samal and sitting MP Sujeet Kumar were elected as the party’s candidates. Samal returned to the Rajya Sabha after a gap of 22 years.
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In a closely contested fight for the fourth seat, BJP-backed Independent candidate Dilip Ray defeated joint BJD-Congress nominee Datteshwar Hota.
BJD candidate Santrupt Misra won the third seat, ensuring representation for the party.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik alleged ‘horse-trading’ by the BJP during the election. All 147 members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly cast their votes in the election.