BJD to name new RS floor leader soon

Bhubaneswar: BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday accepted the resignation of Sasmit Patra as the party’s parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, Naveen’s office said. Speculation is rife that either Santrupt Misra or Manas Mangaraj may be named as his successor.

BJD sources said the new floor leader would be named soon.

Misra, whose tenure in the Upper House began earlier this month, is currently Naveen Patnaik’s political secretary and a BJD national spokesperson. The corporate leader-turned-parliamentarian is seen as a frontrunner to head the party’s six-member Rajya Sabha contingent and is believed to enjoy the confidence of the BJD supremo.

Mangaraj, elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2022, has maintained a low public profile but is also in contention. During the BJD govt’s 2019–2024 term in Odisha, he served as the govt’s media adviser and played a key role in managing the govt’s and the party’s public image.