BJD to support Ashwini Vaishnaw for RS seat

The ruling Biju Janata Dal’s unconditional support to the candidature of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for Rajya Sabha elections has again brought to the fore the strange and unique relationship between the ruling BJD and the main opposition BJP. The BJD’s decision to support Vaishnaw came up just a couple of minutes after the BJP nominated him for the Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha on Wednesday. Vaishnaw, a former IAS officer of Odisha cadre, was also elected to the upper house of parliament for the first time in June 2019 with the support of BJD. As per the political analysts, Vaishnaw plays a major role as a bridge between both BJP and BJD due to his camaraderie with the leaders of both the parties at center and state.