Days after quitting BJD & RS, Sujeet files papers for Upper House as BJP candidate

Bhubaneswar: Former BJD leader Sujeet Kumar on Monday filed his nomination as a BJP candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypoll. Kumar will be contesting for the same seat he had vacated in Sept when he quit BJD.
Kumar filed his nomination in the presence of chief minister Mohan Majhi, deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, and BJP state president Manmohan Samal. The bypoll is scheduled on Dec 20.
"I will continue to work for the 4.5 crore people of Odisha, especially for the people of Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput region," Kumar told reporters after his name was announced by the BJP. He expressed "deep gratitude" to the BJP central and state leadership for reposing faith in him. "I will try to give my best both inside and outside Parliament in serving the people," he said.
Earlier in the day, the BJP named Kumar as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election, marking another strategic political acquisition from the opposition party.
It follows a similar pattern to that of former BJD Rajya Sabha member Mamata Mohanta, who resigned on July 31 and joined the BJP and was re-elected to the Upper House on a BJP ticket. Following Kumar's resignation, there was speculation that the party's state unit chief Samal might be nominated in his place.
Kumar resigned from both Rajya Sabha and the BJD in Sept before joining the BJP. With the BJP holding 78 seats in the 147-member assembly, his victory appears certain, especially as the BJD and Congress are unlikely to field an opposition candidate.
Upon re-election, Kumar, who hails from Kalahandi district, will serve the remainder of his original term until Apr 2, 2026. Kumar holds an MBA from Oxford University's Saïd Business School and a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. He has also practised in the Supreme Court, various high courts, and tribunals.