Bhubaneswar, March 12 The BJD has issued a directive, asking all its MLAs to be present in Bhubaneswar from March 13-16 for the Rajya Sabha elections, after party supremo Naveen Patnaik accused the ruling BJP of attempting to engage in horse-trading for the polls.
The regional party has 50 MLAs, with two of them currently suspended.
A note issued by party chief whip Pramila Mallik late on Wednesday said, "All MLAs of the Biju Janata Dal are hereby informed that the voting for the Rajya Sabha elections 2026 will be held on Monday, March 16, from 9 am to 4 pm on the premises of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The MLAs are directed not to leave HQ and be present in Bhubaneswar from March 13-16 unfailingly. This may be treated as a three-line whip, and strict compliance is solicited."
Earlier, on Wednesday, Patnaik had accused the BJP of attempting to conduct horse-trading as the ruling party has fielded one of its members, Dilip Ray, as an Independent candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The BJP does not have the required number of MLAs to win an additional seat, besides ensuring the win of its two official candidates -- Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar.
Opposition BJD also does not have the required number to get its second candidate elected.
The recent defection by former Balasore MP Rabindra Kumar Jena to the BJP has also sparked speculations of cross-voting. His resignation in the run-up to the polls sparked concern as his wife Subasini Jena is a BJD MLA from Basta.
According to the Rajya Sabha arithmetic in Odisha, a candidate needs 30 first preference votes to win a seat.
In the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly, the ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents. The saffron party can comfortably secure two of the four seats. After getting its two official candidates elected, the BJP will have 22 additional votes, eight short of the magic number of 30 to win an additional seat.
Similarly, the BJD, with 48 MLAs, following the suspension of two legislators, has a surplus of 18 votes, which is, however, also much less than the magic required number of 30. The regional party's official candidate, Santrupt Misra, can easily win one seat.
Therefore, the BJD president fielded eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota as a common candidate. Opposition Congress, which has 14 MLAs and the CPI(M) one, have announced their support for Hota. Therefore, Hota expects to get 33 votes, three more than the required number if there is no cross-voting.
However, the BJP's backing of Independent candidate, former Union minister Dilip Ray, has sparked fears of cross-voting. He had won the Rajya Sabha polls in 2002 on the basis of cross-voting.
"I am confident of winning the Rajya Sabha seat. I have well-wishers in all parties and they will cast their votes based on their conscience," Ray had said.
