Bhubaneswar: The Congress party’s sudden move to shift almost half of its 14 Odisha MLAs to a secure resort in Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha has come as a surprise for Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous.
“I came to know this morning from news reports that some MLAs have travelled outside the state. I don’t have any confirmed information, so I can’t say anything further at this point. The party had issued a whip yesterday asking all MLAs to remain in Bhubaneswar, but in the meantime, some have been moved out of the state. Things would become clearer once we are in the House. Right now, we are unable to establish contact with them,” she told reporters.
Sofia added that she has made up her mind on whom to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections.
According to party insiders, nine Congress MLAs along with Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das reached Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru around 11 pm. 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.
Among the MLAs are Ashok Kumar Das, Prafulla Chandra Pradhan, Pabitra Saunta, Kadraka Appala Swamy, CS Raazen Ekka, and Satyajeet Gomango. They have reportedly been put up at Wonderla Resort, Bidadi, in Ramanagara district, and will return to Bhubaneswar as a group late Sunday evening.
Sources further stated that the Congress has adopted this strategy to ensure strict discipline and prevent any chance of its MLAs being poached by rivals ahead of March 16 polling for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.
While accusing the ruling BJP of indulging in horse trading as no parties has the numbers for the fourth seat, Congress legislature party leader Ramachandra Kadam asserted: “The MLAs, who are in Bhubaneswar, will not indulge in cross voting.”
Besides Sofia and Kadam, other legislators, who have stayed put here, are Tara Prasad Bahinipati (Jeypore), Satyajeet Gomango (Gunpur) and Ramesh Chandra Jena (Sanakhemundi). Interestingly, 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.
