Bhubaneswar: Mumbai-based Odia businessman Harihara Mahapatra is likely to contest the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand.
Sources said that the businessman bought the nomination papers on Thursday and BJP is likely to support his nomination for one of the two seats from the state which will go to polls on March 22. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former MLA Dr Sarfaraz Ahmed also bought papers on March 7. He is the candidate of INDIA bloc.
The seats will fall vacant with the tenure of BJP’s Samir Oraon and Congress’ Dhiraj Prasad Sahu in Upper House of Parliament ending in May.
The notification for the Rajya Sabha elections was issued on March 4. The last date for filling of nominations for the two seats is March 11 and the date for withdrawal is March 14.
Harihara had grabbed headlines in December last year following reports that he and his wife Preeti were to acquire 19 per cent stake in the low-cost airline SpiceJet with an investment of Rs 1,100 crore, making them the biggest investors in the new fundraising by the airline. Harihara hails from Odisha and he moved to Mumbai to become a builder, while his wife is from Vadodara.
In 2016, backed by the BJP, Preeti unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate in Rajya Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh, challenging (then) Congress leader Kapil Sibal.
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