Bhubaneswar: The trouble for Congress, which whisked away eight of its MLAs from Odisha to Bengaluru amid fears of horse trading ahead of March 16 Rajya Sabha elections, seems far from over.
One among the six legislators, who stayed put here, appeared to have gone incommunicado.
Speaking to the media, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam, who stayed back since the Assembly is in session, said Mohana MLA Dasarathi Gomango has not responded to phone calls amid continued efforts by the party leadership to reach him ahead of the crucial vote.
Kadam, however, expressed confidence that Gomang would vote in favour of ‘common candidate’ Dr Datteswar Hota, whom BJD, Congress and CPI(M) are backing for the fourth seat from the state, which will witness a contest with BJP supporting independent candidate Dilip Ray in the polls. “We are hopeful that he will reach the House at the right time. All MLAs are with the party,” he asserted.
A total of four candidates are in the fray for the four seats from Odisha.
Incidentally, Gomango was among the nine MLAs, who were earlier asked to accompany Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Bhakta Charan Das to Bengaluru. However, he was in his constituency at the time and missed the flight. He is reported to have later travelled to Bengaluru via Visakhapatnam, though his exact whereabouts could not be confirmed independently.
Kadam added that the party will not tolerate any indiscipline and strict action will taken against any MLA engaging in cross-voting during the polls.
The deep fissures within the Odisha unit of the Congress were already stark as Cuttack-Barabati MLA Sofia Firdous expressed surprise over shifting of the MLAs to Bengaluru, stating that she came to know about the move from the media on Friday morning and maintained that she had no reason to travel elsewhere. Sofia along with Sanakhemundi MLA Ramesh Chandra Jena had earlier skipped a key CLP meeting to discuss election strategy.
Also Read: ‘Unable To Contact Shifted Party MLAs’: Congress’ Resort Politics Catches Sofia Firdous Off Guard
The eight Congress MLAs, currently in Bengaluru, are Ashok Kumar Das, Dr CS Raajen Ekka, Kadraka Appalaswamy, Mangu Khilla, Nilamadhab Hikaka, Pabitra Saunta, Prafulla Chandra Pradhan and Satyajeet Gomango. They were moved to Karnataka amid concerns within the party over possible cross-voting and alleged attempts at poaching by rival political groups.
On Friday, Karnataka deputy chief minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar, who is hosting them, visited the MLAs at Wonderla resort, Bidadi, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. “Our MLAs have faced both threats and inducements from the rival camp and it is our duty to ensure their safety. These legislators are resolute and don’t want to be part of Operation Lotus. They will vote for the independent candidate supported by Congress, BJD and CPI(M). They have come of their own will and it is our duty to take care of them. They have come here fearing horse-trading, for which BJP is known for,” the deputy CM said.
This fear grew more pronounced as former Balasore MP Rabindra Kumar Jena joined the BJP on Thursday, a day after resigning from BJD. His exit has already sparked serious concern within the BJD regarding its potential repercussions for the upcoming polls, especially since his wife, Subasini Jena, continues to serve as the incumbent BJD MLA from Basta in Balasore district. The BJD has 48 MLAs in the state Assembly following the suspension of two legislators, who are likely to cast their votes in favour of Ray. A couple of other ‘disgruntled’ MLAs could also emerge as potential spoilers, complicating the Opposition’s efforts to secure the fourth Rajya Sabha seat.
The ruling BJP is positioned to comfortably secure two seats with 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents, while BJD has the numbers for one. The Conch party has fielded two nominees: senior leader Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota, the latter positioned as a “common candidate” backed by the Congress, which has 14 MLAs, and CPI(M)’s one, in an unprecedented understanding to contest the fourth seat and potentially block a BJP sweep.
Like Congress, the BJD has also intensified efforts to keep its legislators united with party president Naveen Patnaik issuing a directive making attendance compulsory for all party MLAs in the preparatory meetings over the three days in the run up to the election.
