Politics hots up in Orissa as 3 Rajya Sabha seats to fall vacant

THREE RAJYA sabha seats form Orissa seats will be vacated on July 1 as Pyri Mohan mahapatra (BJD), Bhagirathi Majhi(BJP) and Radha Kanta Nayak from Congress complete their terms as members of Rajya Sabha. 

 

Out of these three seats, it is confirmed that Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will be winning two seats without fail as it has the required votes forits candidates to sail through the elections.

 

There are as many one dozen candidates making rounds of political corridors seeking the Rajya Sabha nominations. Out of one dozen aspirants it is most likely that Pyri Mohan Mahapatra, who was very close to late Biju Patnaik will be renominated. Out of the other two remaining seats one is likely to be given to a member of minority commnity particular from Phulbani (Kondhamal) as the party wants to reiterate its secular credentials.  

 

Both Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and several Congress leaders are also interested in contesting the third seat. However without BJD support it would be very difficult to win the third seat by congress or NCP. The third seat most probably will be go to a woman candidate to satisfy the UPA leaders, it is being speculated. However we will have to wait and see the results.

Women trafficking on rise in Kandhamal

Berhampur (Orissa), Apr 20 2010 At least five girls, two of them minors, were rescued from riot-hit Kandhamal district while being allegedly trafficked to other states, police said.

The girls, hailing from Manajodi village under Daringibadi block, were spotted by the volunteers of 'Childline', an NGO, at the railway station here last night, GRP said.

"The girls were later lodged in Utkal Balashram. They would be handed over to their parents in presence of the police tomorrow," director of Childline (Berhampur) Sudhir Sabat said here.

He said the rescued girls initially tried to hide their identity. The girls, however, admitted that they were being trafficked.

The police had last month arrested three persons, including a couple, while they were allegedly trafficking minor tribal girls from Daringibadi block.

Members of the NGO had also rescued at least a dozen girls from the railway station here on January 23, while they being trafficked to Kerala.