Mamata Mohanta: BJP nominates Mamata Mohanta as its Rajya Sabha candidate in Odisha | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: BJP on Tuesday declared Mamata Mohanta as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from the state that she had vacated after her switch from the BJD. Mohanta had resigned from the Upper House and BJD on July 31, and joined BJP the following day.
“I am thankful to the BJP leadership for reposing faith in me and giving me a chance to serve the people of my home district Mayurbhanj and Odisha,” Mohanta said.
BJP’s decision is being interpreted as a message that the seat was not vacated to accommodate another senior member, and that Mohanta’s resignation from the BJD was due to her dissatisfaction with the party.
With the BJP having 78 MLAs in the 147-member House, Mohanta’s re-entry to the Rajya Sabha is nearly guaranteed. It is likely that Mohanta will be elected unopposed, as the BJD and Congress may not field any candidate. The last date to file nomination for the bypoll, scheduled on Sept 3, is Wednesday.
Mohanta resigned from the RS citing “public interest”, despite having 20 months left in her six-year tenure, which was scheduled to end in April 2026. She is now poised to complete the remainder of her tenure as a BJP member.
The BJP may utilise Mohanta to consolidate its support among the backward Kudumi community, to which she belongs, in Mayurbhanj district. “I belong to a backward community. I will serve the community to the best of my ability,” Mohanta said.
“Coming from a very modest background, I have always worked for the people even when I was in BJD. I will continue serving the people,” she added.
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