Bhubaneswar: Newly-election Rajya Sabha member Dilip Ray visited Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Tuesday to express his gratitude and devotion after a hard-fought win marked by cross-voting.
Speaking to the media, Ray said that he was confident of winning the election. He attributed his victory to both personal relationships and the goodwill and support extended by several legislators.
The BJP-backed Independent candidate staged a scintillating comeback to the Upper House of Parliament after 14 years. He defeated the BJD and Congress’ common candidate Datteswar Hota to secure the crucial fourth seat for Rajya Sabha, which saw a contest in Odisha after 12 years.
The Opposition BJD and Congress failed to keep its flock together despite resorting to ‘resort politics’ and evening meetings in the run up to the poll. It was a near-perfect replay of his 2002 triumph as 11 MLAs – eight from BJD and three from Congress – defied party lines to cross-vote in his favour.
“This victory is the victory of the people of Odisha, and particularly the vote given to me by the BJP MLAs, and the Congress and BJD brothers, this is their victory,” he told the media.
He later put up an elaborate post on X: “I am profoundly grateful and humbled by the outcome of today’s Rajya Sabha election in Odisha. This achievement transcends any individual—it embodies the confidence and generosity displayed by Hon’ble MLAs irrespective of political affiliations. My warmest thanks go to the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party for their consistent backing, and to those from the BJD, Congress, and Independents who chose to offer their support. Such collaborative spirit exemplifies the finest traditions of our democracy, bringing diverse voices together for the common good of Odisha and its people. With humility and a strong sense of responsibility, I undertake this duty. In the Rajya Sabha, I shall endeavour to faithfully serve the hopes of Odisha’s citizens and contribute meaningfully to our state’s and nation’s development. Pranam and sincere thanks for your trust. Jai Jagannath.”
The election was for four seats from Odisha. The BJP with around 82 MLAs, including three Independents, was poised to claim two seats, and the BJD with 48 MLAs one. The BJD had 18 surplus votes after the win and was hopeful of garnering support for Hota with support from Congress’ 14 MLAs and CPM’s one.
In line with pre-election arithmetic that set the threshold for an outright victory at 30 first-preference votes, Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal, incumbent MP Sujeet Kumar, and BJD candidate Santrupt Misra each won their respective seats comfortably. Samal and Kumar polled 35 first-preference votes each and Misra got 31. Ray and Hota finished tied with 23 first-preference votes each, but Ray ultimately prevailed in the tight race thanks to a stronger showing in the second-preference count.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi congratulated the state BJP president Samal, Kumar and Ray on being elected to the Rajya Sabha. “This is a memorable day for the state of Odisha. BJP candidates Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar and our BJP-supported candidate, Dilip Ray, won with overwhelming margins. All the legislators, whether from the Congress party or the BJD, voted for all three candidates to advance Odisha’s development. Certainly, they will contribute significantly to making Odisha a prosperous state,” he told reporters.
BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik strongly condemned cross-voting by a number of BJD MLAs, defying the official whip. “I had spoken to many of you in the last few days about the BJP and their allies and the kind of horse-trading they may attempt. They have gathered a number of people who voted for them. Most of those who cross-voted have criminal past. You can check how many of their parents went to jail,” he told mediapersons.
After the Rajya Sabha result, Bijoy Mohapatra, a close associate of Biju Patnaik who had earlier fallen out with Naveen Patnaik. declared: ‘Naveen babu should self analyse.’
His son Aravind Mohapatra, an MLA from Patkura, along with Champua MLA Sanatan Mahakud were suspended from BJD for alleged anti-party activities. They reportedly voted in favour of Ray. So also, Basta MLA Subhasini Jena, whose husband and former Balasore MP Rabindra Kumar Jena recently switched sides to BJP. Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Souvik Biswal, son of Pravat Biswal who was expelled from BJD for publicly criticising the party leadership over Rajya Sabha selection, also cross voted.
Devi Ranjan Tripathy went against the party because of the alliance with the Congress. His father, Pravat Tripathy, was also expelled from BJD.
Tirtol MLA Ramakant Bhoi, who attended a breakfast meeting at Naveen Niwas earlier in the day along with Subhasini Jena and Devi Ranjan Tripathy, also voted in favour of Ray. The BJD later released photos from the meeting to convey a clear message of unity within the party.
Deputy Opposition chief whip in the Assembly Pratap Deb, who was the BJD counting agent, told mediapersons that Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki), Subasini Jena (Basta) and Ramakant Bhoi (Tirtol) did not vote in favour of authorised candidates of the party. Besides, the two suspended BJD MLAs Sanatan Mahakud (Champua) and Arvind Mohapatra (Patkura) also voted for Ray.
Three Congress MLAs – Sofia Firdous (Barabati-Cuttack), Ramesh Chandra Jena (Sanakhemundi), and Dasarathi Gomango (Mohana) – also reportedly voted against the joint BJD-Congress candidate. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das, who was the Congress counting agent, said the AICC has been informed about cross-voting by the three MLAs.
