Bhubaneswar, March 2 -- Congress MLA Sagar Charan Das on Sunday said the party leadership has instructed him to back Dr Datteswar Hota, one of the two Rajya Sabha candidates nominated by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Speaking to ANI, Das highlighted the achivements of Hota, emphasing that it's a good choice to support "pure Odiya".

"This time, Congress is playing an important role. Datteswar Hota has been declared a common candidate because he is a renowned doctor from Odisha, and his contribution to the society of Odisha is immense. So it is a very good choice to support pure Odiya," he said.

"We will also support him because that is a clear instruction from our president and the AICC," the MLA added.

Earlier on Saturday, Naveen Patnaik...