Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha is set to win two seats in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, and the opposition BJD is certain to bag one, while political manoeuvring will begin for the fourth seat, where no single party has the numbers to secure victory on its own.
The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that the biennial polls in 10 states, including Odisha, will be held March 16.
Four seats in the Upper House from Odisha will fall vacant April 2 following the completion of the tenure of Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan of the BJD, and Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta of the BJP.
In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents. The opposition BJD’s strength stands at 48 after the suspension of two of its legislators last month. The Congress has 14 MLAs, while the CPI(M) has one member.
As per the Rajya Sabha electoral arithmetic, a candidate requires at least 30 first preference votes to win a seat. The BJP is comfortably placed to win two seats, while the BJD can secure one. The contest for the fourth seat, however, remains open.
After ensuring the victory of its two candidates, the BJP will have 22 surplus votes – eight short of the required number for a third seat. The BJD, after electing one member, will be left with 18 surplus votes. The Congress, with 14 MLAs, lacks sufficient strength to win a seat on its own, even if it secures the support of one CPI(M) member.
Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam said the party would field a candidate despite the numerical disadvantage.
He said the Congress has proposed that the BJD either field a candidate for the fourth seat with its support or back a Congress nominee to prevent the BJP from winning it.
Kadam said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das is likely to seek a meeting with BJD president Naveen Patnaik to discuss the issue. The Congress is also open to fielding a joint candidate supported by both parties, he added.
Earlier, Das had said the Congress would definitely fight the Rajya Sabha polls and that a nominee could be chosen from within or outside the party.
He also maintained that if the Congress and BJD unite, a candidate could win, though he was unsure whether the regional party would agree to such an arrangement.
Neither Patnaik nor the BJD has formally responded to the proposal.
Meanwhile, the BJP expressed confidence that it would win the fourth seat as well.
Let us wait. The BJP will win maximum seats and spring a surprise, BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy told reporters outside the Assembly.