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Legislators from antithetic parties are leaving for the Odisha Legislative Assembly, wherever the biennial Rajya Sabha elections are being held connected Monday (March 16, 2026).
The Rajya Sabha predetermination has go politically breathtaking with 5 candidates vying for 4 vacant seats amidst monolithic allegations of poaching of MLAs done horse-trading. Congress connected Sunday (March 15, 2026) alleged 4 persons with an volition to bribe its MLAs were spotted successful Mysuru edifice wherever enactment legislators were staying.
“Reports person emerged that 4 individuals were arrested successful Bengaluru connected allegations of attempting to manus implicit blank cheques to MLAs with the intent to bargain votes for BJP-supported Rajya Sabha candidates,” wrote erstwhile Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik connected ‘X’ connected Monday.
“For the past fewer days, I person been consistently stating that the BJP has been engaged successful horse-trading-like activities to bring MLAs from different parties successful Odisha implicit to its side. This apprehension successful Bengaluru is large impervious of that. The radical of Odisha are watching everything and volition surely support this successful mind,” said Mr. Patnaik.
Ashok Kumar Das, lawman person of the Odisha Congress Legislature Party, said helium has lodged a ailment alleging that 4 unidentified persons approached the MLAs with offers.
Meanwhile, BJP MLAs who were enactment up successful a edifice successful larboard municipality of Paradip person arrived Bhubaneswar by bus. BJP sources said MLAs were fixed mock-polling grooming truthful that their votes would not beryllium rejected.
Similarly, BJD MLAs spent their nighttime astatine Naveen Niwas, the residence of erstwhile Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, to forestall attempts by rival groups to poach MLAs. The determination enactment issued amusement origin announcement to 2 MLAs for remaining absent from the meetings called by enactment president Naveen Patnaik. They are Baliguda MLA Chakramani Kanhar and Jayadev MLA Naba Kishor Mallick person not been attending for the past 3 days. They person been asked to beryllium contiguous successful the assembly premises.
While the BJP has fielded its State President Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar, it is backing hotelier and erstwhile Union Minister Dilip Ray. Similarly, the BJD has announced Santrupta Mishra, governmental advisor to Mr. Patnaik and Datteswar Hota, a noted urologist, arsenic the communal candidate. Congress has extended its enactment Dr. Hota.
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.
