Odisha BJP core committee meets to discuss candidates for RS poll

BHUBANESWAR: The core committee of the state unit of the BJP met here on Sunday to select possible candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha election to be held on March 16.

The meeting assumed significance as Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended the deliberations after staying away from previous core committeeThough the party did not issue any formal communication after the meeting, sources familiar with the discussions said the focus was largely on identifying probable candidates for the Rajya Sabha election. The terms of four members of the Upper House from Odisha – Mamata Mohanta, Muzibulla Khan, Sujeet Kumar and Niranjan Bishi are set to end on April 2, 2026.Party sources said the core committee has shortlisted a panel of names, from which four candidates will be finalised by the BJP’s central parliamentary board. The exercise is being seen as crucial for balancing regional representation, organisational loyalty and caste and community equations within the party.

The meeting also discussed long-pending appointments of party leaders to various boards and state-owned corporations. With the BJP now in power in Odisha, several organisational leaders are reportedly expecting positions in government bodies and public-sector undertakings.