2 months ago
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Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik connected Saturday (March 14, 2026) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its 3 candidates of indulging successful horse-trading up of the ensuing Rajya Sabha elections.
“There is horse-trading going on, with BJP leaders and their 3 Rajya Sabha candidates trying their champion to unafraid votes done specified means, which, arsenic you know, is an offence to triumph a antiauthoritarian election,” Mr. Patnaik alleged.
Echoing the charge, elder Arun Sahoo, a BJD MLA and erstwhile minister, said a enactment lacking capable numbers should not beryllium claiming victory.
“One enactment does not person the numbers to triumph the election. Yet, contempt that, it has fielded candidates and is backing them portion claiming they volition win. This intelligibly points towards horse-trading, which is acold removed from ideology and ethics,” Mr. Sahoo said.
Another BJD legislator, Byomkesh Ray, alleged that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi himself was progressive successful contacting MLAs.
“He is personally calling MLAs separately and making deals astatine his authoritative residence. This is simply a substance of interest and shame. As Chief Minister, helium should not beryllium progressive successful horse-trading,” Mr. Ray alleged.
Questioning the BJP’s prospects, Mr. Ray said: “They person 22 votes and we person 35. How volition they scope 30 votes? Without horse-trading, determination is nary anticipation of their winning.”
In the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly, the BJP has 79 MLAs and besides enjoys the enactment of 3 Independents. The main Opposition party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has 50 MLAs, but its spot has efficaciously travel down to 48 aft the enactment suspended Aravind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud implicit alleged anti-party activities. The 2 MLAs person not yet pledged enactment to immoderate candidate.
The Congress has 14 MLAs, portion the lone MLA of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has announced enactment for the communal Opposition candidate.
Each campaigner requires the backing of 30 MLAs to unafraid victory. Going by the numbers, the BJD and Congress unneurotic tin comfortably guarantee the predetermination of their communal candidate. The BJP, however, falls abbreviated of the numbers required to warrant the triumph of Dilip Ray, the saffron party-backed candidate.
Meanwhile, each governmental parties are conducting mock-poll grooming for their MLAs to guarantee that their votes are not rejected. A radical of Congress MLAs has already near for Bengaluru, reportedly to debar imaginable attempts by rival parties to interaction them.
