Naveen Patnaik appoints BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb as Rajya Sabha nominee

BHUBANESHWAR: Odisha Chief Minister and party president Naveen Patnaik named former MLA, and Biju Janata Dal spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb as his nominee to the Rajya Sabha. On Thursday, Patnaik also named his Finance Minister until last week and Boudh MLA Pradip Kumar Amat, speaker of the state assembly.

The RS seat had been vacated in March when Patnaik had recalled senior BJD leader Bishnu Charan Das mid-way through his term. Das had resigned to become chairman of the state planning board and convener of party’s SC cell.

Considered a committed BJD politician, Deb should help check the influence of certain BJD parliamentarians, who have been rather outspoken about their increasing disenchantment with their party.


The 45 year old Deb, has been a three time MLA (2000-2014) from his home town of Aul in Kendrapada, from where his father late Sarat Kumar Deb also contested successful, first with the Swatantra part and then Janata Party in the late seventies and early eighties. The younger Deb has served as minister in Patnaik’s government twice, handling the food supplies and consumer welfare, employment and technical education and IT departments.

In 2014 he lost to Congress leader Devendra Sharma and was currently serving as the party’s spokesperson and as chairman of the Odisha State Housing Board Corporation. “I thank chief minister for nominating me for Rajya Sabha. I will raise Odisha’s concern and demands in Delhi and work towards protecting state’s interest,” Deb told reporters on Thursday.

The Election Commission of India has fixed May 25 for the election, but with BJD holding 117 of the 147 seats, neither the Indian National Congress nor the Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to put up nominees.