Nitish speaks to Odisha CM over Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman’s election

Bhubaneswar: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today called up his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik seeking Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s support for the JD(U) candidate in the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman’s election.

The JD(U) supremo informed that his party’s Rajya Sabha MP Harivansh Narayan Singh has filed nomination for the post of Deputy Chairman in Rajya  Sabha. He urged the BJD President Patnaik to extend his support to the present Deputy Chairperson in the poll.

In the year 2018, Odisha’s ruling BJD had backed the NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh – the MP of the Janata Dal (United) – in the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman’s poll following telephonic talk between party supremo Naveen and  Bihar CM Nitish.

However, the regional party was under fire from the opposition for voting in favour of the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate.

The BJD in its clarification had said that the party supported the JD(U) due to ‘ideological similarities’, but it will continue to maintain equi-distance from the BJP and Congress.

Harivansh Narayan Singh was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the JD(U) from Bihar in 2014 for a period of six-year term. On August 8, 2018, he was elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House of Indian Parliament.