Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha Sunday claimed the understanding between the opposition BJD and Congress for the Rajya Sabha polls would ultimately benefit it.
Speaking to reporters, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said the BJD and the Congress had aligned in the past as well.
“Therefore, the party (BJD) lost in the 2024 general elections. A combined fight by BJD and Congress will be to the advantage of the BJP,” he said, without elaborating on how such a tie-up would help his party in the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections.
Samal said the BJP would soon finalise its candidates for the elections.
“The picture on candidates will be clear in two to three days,” he added.
The Congress decision to back the BJD’s “common candidate” is being seen as politically significant in Odisha. BJD had ousted the Congress from power 26 years ago, and the two parties have long been rivals.
Both sides have now come together to prevent the BJP from winning three of the four Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in the state.
According to the tally in the 147-member assembly, the BJD is certain of one seat, while the ruling BJP is sure about two seats. Neither party has the required 30 first-preference votes for the fourth seat.
The ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents, totalling 82, which is eight short of the number required for electing three MPs.
The opposition BJD has 48 MLAs after two of its members were suspended last month. After electing one MP, it will have 18 first-preference votes but will require another 12 to bag the second seat.
The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one.
The BJD on Saturday named senior leader Santrupt Misra and noted urologist Datteswar Hota as nominees. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik appealed to all parties to support Hota as a “common candidate”.
State Congress president Bhakta Charan Das declared support for Hota. However, Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam said a meeting of party MLAs is scheduled for Monday to reaffirm the decision.
Kadam said the state Congress leadership has already spoken to individual MLAs, and all of them have agreed to abide by the party’s decision.
“Again, we will reaffirm the commitment at Monday’s meeting. There is no possibility of any cross-voting,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha elections will be held as the tenures of BJD’s Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan, and BJP’s Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta would end in April.
PTI
