Bhubaneswar: The classic “resort politics” has made a comeback in Congress, as six party MLAs from Odisha, including chief whip CS Raazen Ekka, arrived in Bengaluru late Thursday night amid heightened concerns over potential cross-voting in the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections.
According to sources, legislators — Ashok Kumar Das, Prafulla Chandra Pradhan, Pabitra Saunta, Kadraka Appala Swamy, CS Raazen Ekka, and Satyajeet Gomango — along with their families, totalling 14 individuals, arrived around 11 pm at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. They were received by close associates of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is widely regarded in Congress circles as a skilled crisis manager and political troubleshooter.
The MLAs from Odisha have reportedly been put up at Wonderla Resort, Bidadi, in Ramanagara district.
This move comes as the Congress seeks to ensure strict discipline and prevent any defections or cross-voting in the March 16 polling for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.
Some reports indicated that nine of the party’s 14 MLAs, accompanied by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, boarded an evening flight to Bengaluru. The legislators are scheduled to return to Bhubaneswar on the day of the election.
The five MLAs, who stayed put here, include leader of Congress legislature party (CLP) Ramachandra Kadam, senior MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Cuttack-Barabati MLA Sofia Firdous, Gunupur MLA Satyajeet Gomango and Sanakhemundi MLA Ramesh Chandra Jena. Two among them – Sofia and Ramesh – had earlier skipped a key Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting to discuss election strategy.
In Odisha’s 147-member Assembly, the BJP with 82 MLAs (including three Independents) can comfortably secure two seats. The opposition BJD has 48, following the suspension of two legislators, while the Congress has 14 and the CPI(M) one. The BJD, which has the numbers to claim one of the four seats, has fielded senior leader Santrupt Misra as its primary candidate, alongside eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota as a ‘common candidate’ backed by the Congress, and CPI(M).
The BJP, on the other hand, has nominated state party chief Manmohan Samal and incumbent MP Sujeet Kumar, while extending support to former Union Minister Dilip Ray, who is contesting as an Independent. This has set up a direct contest for the fourth seat between Ray and Hota, with numbers suggesting neither side can win it outright without full unity and potential cross-votes.
Both the BJD and Congress had earlier issued strict three-line whips to their MLAs, directing them not to leave Bhubaneswar until after the polling on March 16, underscoring the high stakes and fears of poaching or rebellion.
The elections, part of a nationwide process to fill 37 vacancies across 10 states, is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm.
