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Ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, all 14 Congress MLAs have been moved to Bengaluru as the party seeks to prevent cross-voting in a closely contested fourth seat involving the BJP and the BJD.
All 14 MLAs of the Indian National Congress from Odisha have been shifted to Bengaluru
Bengaluru: All 14 MLAs of the Indian National Congress from Odisha have been shifted to Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16. The move is aimed at preventing possible cross-voting in what is expected to be a tightly contested race for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat in the state.
D. K. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, personally supervised the relocation of the legislators. Party leaders said the step was taken to ensure unity among the MLAs during the crucial election.
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Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar confirmed that all Odisha Congress MLAs were currently in Bengaluru. He described the move as a precautionary measure amid reports of attempts to influence legislators. “It is our responsibility to protect our MLAs in such politically sensitive situations,” he said.
“The decision to take a group of the MLAs to Bengaluru was taken following a meeting of the PCC president with the Congress MLAs and an internal discussion within the party at the highest level. As Karnataka has a Congress government, it was decided to move the MLAs to Bengaluru. The remaining legislators may also be moved either to Hyderabad or New Delhi,” said a Congress leader.
The Rajya Sabha contest has become significant due to the tight numerical balance in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party holds the support of 79 MLAs, while the Biju Janata Dal commands 50 seats. The Congress has 14 MLAs.
With the fourth Rajya Sabha seat at stake, each vote is expected to play a crucial role in determining the outcome.
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The BJD has nominated Shantanu Mishra as its official candidate and also backed Datteshwar Hota for another seat with Congress support.
Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded two candidates and is also backing independent leader Dilip Ray.
With the numbers finely balanced, the result of the fourth seat could depend on whether parties succeed in keeping their MLAs united and preventing defections.
