No pressure of seat-sharing in RS polls: BJD

The ruling BJD in Odisha on

Tuesday asserted it was not under pressure over seat-sharing for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, even as the BJP said it will field candidates for the elections to the Upper House of Parliament.

The BJD had last year supported BJP candidate Ashwini Vaishnav in the Rajya Sabha elections, prompting the opposition Congress to raise doubts whether the party will lend support to saffron party candidates this time as well.

"We are not under any pressure over seat-sharing for the Rajya Sabha elections. The party president will take a call on this matter," government chief whip and senior BJD leader Pramila Mallick told reporters here.

BJP candidate Ashwini Vaishnav was last year elected to Rajya Sabha from Odisha despite the party not having the required number of MLAs.

BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik had then clarified that his party had supported Vaishnav following requests by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan .