Congress fear possible 'horse trading' during Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: As the race for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections intensifies, the Congress in Odisha has raised doubts over a possible horse trading for the fourth seat for which neither the ruling BJP nor the opposition BJD has the required numbers to win.

The ruling BJP is set to win two seats in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, and the opposition BJD is certain to bag one, while the parties began political manoeuvring for the fourth.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, who left for New Delhi to have a discussion with the party high command on the upcoming biennial polls, told reporters on Friday, "We need to stop horse trading in politics. There should be no horse trading in the Rajya Sabha polls." When asked to elaborate, Das said the BJP is in power in the state and its leaders often claim the party will win three of the four Rajya Sabha seats for which the elections are being held.

"The BJP people can do anything as they are in power. They can go to any extent," he alleged.

According to Rajya Sabha arithmetic in Odisha, the BJP could win two seats and the BJD one, Das said.

"For the remaining one seat, no party, including the Congress, has the numbers to win. But the BJP leaders claim they will get three seats. How can it be possible without horse trading?" the former Union minister asked.

He said neither the BJP nor the BJD has the required 30 first-preference votes for the fourth seat.

In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three Independents, totalling 82, which is eight short of the number required for electing three MPs.

Similarly, the opposition BJD has 48 MLAs after two of its members were suspended last month. After electing one MP, it will have 18 first-preference votes but will require another 12 to bag the second seat. The Congress has 14 MLAs, and the CPI(M) has one member.

Das said, therefore, he has proposed that in order to stop horse trading in Odisha politics, the BJD and Congress should support an Independent candidate of eminence who can fight for the interest of the state instead.

"I am going to Delhi with five names containing possible candidates. I have also sought an appointment with BJD president Naveen Patnaik for discussion in this regard," he said.

Asked how the BJD can support a candidate of his party's choice when the regional outfit is maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress, Das said there is nothing wrong with them supporting a Congress candidate.

"We may field an eminent person whom the BJD can support. This is the only way to stop horse trading," he said, adding that the Congress will reveal its choice very soon.

Replying to another question, Das said all Congress MLAs are united and there is no question of defection for the RS polls.

Two days ago, the BJP's Odisha in-charge Viay Pal Singh Tomar had said that the party will win the maximum number of Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.

Meanwhile, BJD president Naveen Patnaik held a discussion with party MLAs on various matters, including the Rajya Sabha elections.

Some of the BJD lawmakers said that the party decided to go by Patnaik's decision.

"Yesterday, the BJD's political affairs committee (PAC) authorised the party president to take a decision on the RS polls. All MLAs will go by Patnaik's decision," senior MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo said.

Though the BJD has the numbers to win one Rajya Sabha seat, the party has purchased six sets of forms for the biennial elections, indicating that the regional party might field more than one candidate in the fray.

In a related development, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday met BJP president Nitin Nabin in Delhi amid speculations that the saffron party chief could be fielded as a Rajya Sabha candidate from Odisha.

Though officially the meeting is described as a discussion on organisational matters, Majhi's one-on-one discussion with Nabin assumes political significance under the prevailing political situation.

Taking to X, Majhi said, "Called on Shri @NitinNabin Ji, President of the Bharatiya Janata Party @BJP4India, today and held productive discussions on strengthening organisational coordination and accelerating development initiatives in Odisha. Reaffirmed our shared commitment to good governance, inclusive growth, and the welfare of the people of our state." BJP state president Manmohan Samal said the parliamentary party will take a decision very soon on the candidates and how they would face the March 16 Rajya Sabha polls.