Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Congress has initiated disqualification proceedings against three of its MLAs — Sofia Firdous (Cuttack-Barabati), Dasarathi Gomango (Mohana) and Ramesh Jena (Sanakhemundi) — for defying the party whip and cross-voting in the recent Rajya Sabha election.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam on Tuesday wrote to Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy stating that their “action is in clear violation of the party whip and amounts to defection under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India (Anti-Defection Law).”
He further noted that their conduct not only undermined party discipline but also went against the democratic mandate under which they were elected. “…I hereby petition before the Speaker to kindly take cognizance of the matter and initiate appropriate proceedings for disqualification of the aforesaid Members from the membership of the
Odisha Legislative Assembly under the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law,” he added.
The trio was earlier suspended from the party. Kadam has also requested the Speaker that their seating be rearranged in the House according to established rules to reflect their current status.
The suspensions followed a dramatic turn in the March 16 Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha, where the Opposition alliance between the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress failed to secure the fourth seat due to significant cross-voting. The BJP-backed independent candidate Dilip Ray emerged victorious, aided by preferences from at least 11 opposition MLAs — including six BJD members, two suspended BJD MLAs, and the three Congress legislators.
Congress and BJD had fielded a joint candidate, Datteswar Hota, in a strategic alliance aimed at countering the BJP’s push for additional representation in the Up
per House. With the BJD holding around 48 MLAs (excluding the suspended members) and Congress 14, the combine was positioned to win two seats comfortably. However, widespread defections handed the BJP an unexpected fourth seat.
Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena, and Dasarathi Gomango reportedly voted in favour of Ray, prompting immediate backlash from the party leadership.
Soon after the counting of votes, Das, who served as the Congress counting agent, publicly condemned the trio. He said the AICC has been informed about cross-voting by the three MLAs while describing them as having been “sold like goats and sheep.”
He further stated that Gomango was made Gajapati district president twice and was also given a ticket to contest the Assembly polls. “The party did not accept this from him. Jena was a strong leader, he destroyed himself. Sofia Firdous had a very bright future. She has ended her chances of winning from Cuttack in the future. We will go ahead with the disqualification process as per the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution,” he told the media.
The OPCC president also criticised the BJP for misusing money power for the victory of Independent candidate Ray.
Earlier, the official Odisha Congress social media handle labeled the defectors “traitors,” posting: “Opponents fight you from the outside; traitors weaken you from the inside.”
Incidentally, the Congress had flown eight Congress MLAs to Bengaluru ahead of polling to prevent poaching and inducements. Gomango had then gone incommunicado. Sofia had also criticised party leadership for extending support to BJD’s common candidate without consulting the MLAs.
The cross-voting later exposed vulnerabilities in the BJD-Congress tie-up formed to consolidate anti-BJP votes in the state.
Also Read: Dilip Ray Visits Puri Jagannath Temple After Dramatic Rajya Sabha Win With Cross Votes
The BJP, meanwhile, secured three seats — including Dilip Ray’s win — alongside the BJD’s one. No immediate response has been reported from the suspended MLAs regarding the disciplinary measure.