6 BJD MLAs Suspended After Cross-Voting Shocker in Odisha Rajya Sabha Polls
3 min learnBhubaneswarUp to date: Mar 21, 2026 08:39 PM IST
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday suspended six MLAs who cross-voted within the lately concluded Rajya Sabha polls.
The suspended legislators are Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Naba Kishor Mallick (Jayadev), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subasini Jena (Basta), Ramakanta Bhoi (Tirtol) and Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki).
“The MLAs are suspended for his or her involvement in anti-party actions together with cross voting within the latest election to Rajya Sabhaviolating the core precept of BJD Structure which mandates absolute loyalty to the get together’s collective selections,” the suspension order signed by get together president Naveen Patnaik stated.
The get together had earlier issued show-cause notices to the MLAs, and their replies have been reviewed by its disciplinary committee. The political affairs committee (PAC) then determined to droop them.
The six legislators— together with two beforehand suspended MLAs Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud — voted towards famous urologist Datteswar Hota, fielded as a typical candidate by the BJD and the Congress for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat, the place no get together had clear numbers.
Cross-voting by eight BJD MLAs, together with three Congress legislators, helped hotelier and former Union minister Dilip Ray win the fourth seat.
Some BJD legislators additionally invoked the ‘Biju legacy’ to justify backing Ray, an in depth confidant of former CM and Naveen Patnaik’s father, Biju Patnaik.
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Chatting with reporters after the PAC assembly, BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik stated the motion wouldn’t cease at suspension. “We can even write to the speaker of Odisha Meeting to cancel their membership as they didn’t comply to get together directive. We can even provoke authorized process for cancellation of those legislators,” Mallik stated.
The PAC additionally mentioned the row over two BJP MLAs—Upasana Mohapatra and Purna Chandra Sethy—being issued two poll papers throughout voting.
“As I used to be the agent throughout voting, I objected to this however the Election Fee didn’t hearken to it. Issuance of second poll is towards the rule. Their votes ought to have been rejected however it wasn’t counted as legitimate votes. The BJD can even struggle it legally difficult the ballot course of,” stated Mallik.
With the suspension, the get together’s power within the state Meeting has come all the way down to 42. The transfer is prone to set off a rift amongst grassroots employees, with BJD sources indicating the get together might mobilise employees towards the six MLAs of their constituencies.
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Earlier, the Congress had additionally suspended its three MLAs—Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena and Dasarathi Gomango—for cross-voting.
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