Loyalist Deb is Naveen Patnaik choice for Rajya Sabha seat

Bhubaneswar: Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik on Thursday chose to play safe as he nominated his staunch loyalist and party spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb as the party’s official nominee for Rajya Sabha bypolls to be held on May 25.

Mr Deb, currently heading the Odisha State Housing Board as its chairman, is known for his political acumen and articulation.

A former minister and three-time MLA from Aul constituency in the coastal Kendrapara district, the BJD leader has impeccable integrity. He is respected in the party forum as one of the most intelligent and smart spokespersons.

Ever since the CM faced numerous problems after coming to power in 2014 for the fourth consecutive term on issues like chit fund scam, mining scam and government’s “failure” on several fronts, Mr Deb, having a strong command over English, Odia and Hindi, has stood rock solid behind him and often bailed him out of troubles through his adept media handling.