Bhubaneswar: A day after its political affairs committee (PAC) met in Bhubaneswar, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is slated to hold another crucial meeting on Friday to discuss on the party’s strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha.

As per sources, MLAs of the opposition party have been asked to assemble at Naveen Niwas, the residence of BJD president Naveen Patnaik, for the meeting to be held in the evening.

The meeting is likely to focus on the regional party’s strategy and the finalisation of candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled to be held on March 16.

As the main agenda of the meeting is going to be the final selection of candidates for the biennial elections, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik is expected to hold detailed consultations with party MLAs.

The crucial meeting is being held a day after BJD’s PAC met on Thursday evening and discussed the issue of candidate selection at length.

After preliminary deliberations, the regional party is now set to take a decisive call on whether it will field a candidate for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat and the party chief will take a final decision on the matter.

Significantly, the PAC has already authorised the BJD president to decide how many candidates the party will field. Naveen has also been authorised to select the candidates.

It may be noted that the main opposition party has swung into action after the the Election Commission of India (ECI) notified elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.

Considering the strength of legislators of different parties in the 147-member Assembly strength, BJP is comfortably placed to secure two seats, while BJD is assured of winning one seat. The fourth seat remains open, as no single party has the required 31 votes to win independently. This arithmetic has turned the fourth seat into a high-stakes political contest, potentially hinging on cross-voting, strategic alliances, or a consensus candidate.

Interestingly, BJD has collected six nomination forms, triggering varied speculations in political circles. While one seat is secure for it, the party appears to be keeping its options open for the fourth berth.

Following the notification issued by the ECI, the nomination process for Rajya Sabha polls began on Thursday and will continue until March 5. Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for March 6, while March 9 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of candidature. Polling, if necessary, will be held on March 16.