Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha has shifted all its MLAs to the port town of Paradip ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled March 16.
The BJP MLAs, including ministers, boarded two luxury buses to the port town after a crucial meeting with senior party leaders at the BJP state party headquarters here Saturday. The meeting was attended by Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and senior party leaders.
The BJP has fielded Samal and re-nominated MP Sujeet Kumar as its official candidates, and has backed party leader and hotelier Dilip Ray as an Independent candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The BJP MLAs will stay at a luxury hotel in Paradip owned by Ray, party sources said.
While boarding the bus, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra said, “We are certain to win three of the four Rajya Sabha seats going to polls March 16. The party has already prepared a strategy. The MLAs will be imparted training at Paradip before they return to Bhubaneswar to cast their votes.”
Law Minister Prithiviraj Harchandan also expressed confidence that the three candidates will win the polls.
“Wait till Monday evening,” he said, adding that the saffron party MLAs will attend a special training session on the voting procedure in Paradip to ensure a flawless vote.
Meanwhile, Saturday evening, BJD MLAs attended a “priority” meeting convened by party president Naveen Patnaik.
On the other hand, Congress MLA from Mohana, Dasarathi Gomango, has gone “incommunicado”.
“We are trying to contact him, but have not been able to reach him so far,” Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam said.
Congress MLA from Barabati-Cuttack, Sofia Firdous, expressed her displeasure with the party backing the BJD-nominated common candidate Dr Datteswar Hota.
“The understanding with BJD may be harmful for the Congress,” she said, but did not divulge whether she will go by the party decision to vote for Hota.
The BJD has fielded party leader Santrupt Misra as its official candidate and named eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota as the common candidate, supported by the Congress and the CPI(M).
Addressing a press conference, CPI(M) MLA Laxman Munda said he would vote for Dr Hota as per the party’s decision.
The contest is mostly between Ray and Hota, who are fighting for the fourth seat. While the BJP is sure to win two seats, the BJD will win one seat, according to the assembly numbers. However, neither party has the numbers to win an additional seat for which they fielded Independent candidates.