Bhubaneswar: The Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to be held March 16. Ahead of the polls, the state’s three major parties, Bharatiya Janata Party, Biju Janata Dal and the Indian National Congress are making all-out efforts to keep their MLAs together.
Amid this, a war of words has erupted between Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik and BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra over allegations of “horse-trading” ahead of the election.
While Patnaik alleged that the BJP was indulging in horse-trading and termed it a crime, Mishra hit back, saying Patnaik himself had experience in such practices. He asserted that the BJP was not engaged in horse-trading but had merely sought “conscience votes” from legislators.
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Mishra also said the BJD was like a “sinking boat,” questioning why anyone would want to remain on it. He further claimed that Patnaik’s remarks indicate the leader has already accepted defeat in the Rajya Sabha contest.
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