Bhubaneswar: Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting horse trading ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state.
Patnaik made the allegation after former BJD MP Rabindra Kumar Jena resigned from the regional party and joined the BJP earlier in the day, just days before the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for March 16.
Expressing concern over the state government’s priorities, Patnaik said he had urged the government to take urgent steps to assist thousands of Odia people reportedly stranded in Middle East countries amid the ongoing conflict in the region. He alleged that instead of focusing on the welfare of those citizens, the BJP leadership in Odisha was concentrating on securing numbers for the Rajya Sabha elections through “horse trading.”
BJD leader and Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik also accused the BJP of attempting to win an additional Rajya Sabha seat despite lacking adequate numbers in the Assembly. She alleged that the party had backed an Independent candidate in a bid to secure victory through questionable means and claimed such actions would set a wrong example for future generations. Mallik further asserted that the BJP would not succeed in its alleged attempts.
Meanwhile, Bhakta Charan Das said the Congress legislators were united and would support the common candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections. However, he too expressed apprehension about possible attempts at poaching legislators.
Amid these concerns, some BJD MLAs have suggested that the party leadership keep all its lawmakers together in Bhubaneswar until the voting concludes. BJD legislators Pradip Kumar Disari and Pradeep Kumar Sahoo said they had proposed that the party house its MLAs at a single location, possibly a hotel in the state capital, to prevent any attempts to influence them. They added that the final decision rests with the party leadership.
On the other hand, senior BJP MLA Padmalochan Panda expressed confidence that all three candidates supported by the BJP would win the polls. While he did not reveal how the BJP-backed Independent nominee would secure the required additional votes, Panda said the outcome would become clear after the election.
The Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha are being held after a gap of 12 years, as five candidates are contesting for four seats falling vacant from the state. The BJP has nominated its Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar as official candidates, while extending support to Independent candidate Dilip Ray.
The BJD has fielded Santrupt Misra as its official nominee and backed Dr Datteswar Hota as a joint candidate supported by the Congress and the CPI(M).
According to the electoral arithmetic, a candidate requires at least 30 first-preference votes to secure a Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha. The BJP currently has 79 MLAs in the Assembly along with the support of three Independent legislators. The BJD’s strength stands at 48 MLAs after the recent suspension of two members.
Based on the numbers, the BJP is expected to comfortably secure two seats and would be left with 22 surplus votes. After electing its official candidate, the BJD would have 18 remaining votes. The Congress, which has 14 MLAs, along with one CPI(M) legislator, has pledged support to Hota, making the contest for the remaining seat closely watched.
