Bhubaneswar: Is BJP looking for another strategic political acquisition from the main opposition party in Odisha?
The BJD’s strength in Rajya Sabha has diminished to seven with Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar resigning from the Upper House and switching sides to BJP.
Mamata and Sujeet have also been re-elected unopposed to the same vacant seats, taking the saffron party’s tally to 3 with Ashwini Vaishnaw as its other MP from Odisha.
Even as BJD is struggling to keep its flock together after the debacle in the twin polls, BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty dropped another bombshell on Thursday by claiming that two more Rajya Sabha members of the regional party will soon follow suit. He said a senior MP and young MP from the BJD will be joining BJP.
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This has led to speculation about the possible turncoats among the remaining BJD MPs and talks about Niranjan Bishi and Subhashish Khuntia switching sides. Khuntia was the Biju Yuba Janata Dal (BYJD) vice-president and was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha in February. Bishi has been serving a member of the Upper House from the BJD since June 2022.
Bishi, however, dismissed it as rumours.
BJP state in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar added fuel to this claim by stating that several BJD MLAs and MPs are in touch with the saffron party.
The BJP has been using the renomination bait to draw MPs from BJD to improve its strength in Rajya Sabha, where the NDA has a slender majority, and this strategy has so far worked for it.
When asked about the BJP’s claims, senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya said that several stories are weaved in politics and these are nothing new.
Mohanty’s claim if proved to be true will further squeeze BJD’s voice in Delhi since it drew a naught in the Lok Sabha polls. The regional party has to strategise to prevent further exodus, or else its presence will be limited to Odisha only.
Also Read: BJP Wants Beleaguered BJD To Survive & Face Humiliation In Odisha: Jayanarayan Mishra
