Bhubaneswar: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday issued a whip for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
In a note, Government Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan directed all party MLAs to remain present in the State Assembly on March 16 for the voting process.
BJ
P achieved absolute majority on its own in the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections, winning 78 of the 147 seats. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was reduced to 51 seats.
A day earlier, BJD and Odisha Congress issued a strict whip to its MLAs, ordering their presence in the state capital until the day of Rajya Sabha polls.
The whip is a precautionary step by all the political parties to try and prevent possible last-minute absences or shifts in allegiance in the polls for four vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.
Polling will be on Monday from 9 am to 4 pm at the Odisha Legislative Assembly premises.