5 months ago
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With the tenure of 4 Rajya Sabha members ending connected April 2 this year, and nary governmental enactment having the numbers to guarantee the predetermination of a 4th candidate, governmental manoeuvring has begun successful Odisha.
Odisha Congress main Bhakta Charan Das connected Wednesday (January 28, 2026) said helium would conscionable erstwhile Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik to sermon the anticipation of extending associated enactment to an Independent with “impeccable societal standing”.
Odisha is represented successful the Rajya Sabha by 10 MPs – 7 from the BJD and 3 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The tenure of BJD MPs Niranjan Bishi and Muzibulla Khan, and BJP MPs Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar, volition extremity connected April 2. Both Ms. Mohanta and Mr. Kumar were primitively elected arsenic BJD members earlier resigning and subsequently securing re-election connected BJP ticket.
‘Strengthening Opposition’
In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the BJP has 79 MLAs, followed by the BJD with 50, the Congress with 14, 1 subordinate from the CPI(M), and 3 Independents. The BJP enjoys the enactment of each three. A campaigner volition necessitate first-preference votes of 31 MLAs to unafraid predetermination to the Rajya Sabha. Given the contiguous strength, the BJP and the BJD tin comfortably guarantee the predetermination of 2 and 1 candidates respectively. A 4th campaigner could beryllium elected if the Congress and the BJD articulation hands. Such an confederation has been a rarity successful Odisha’s governmental landscape.
“It is the work of the 2 parties to fortify the Opposition successful the State,” Mr. Das said.
