BHUBANESWAR: Hours after former MP Rabindra Jena joined the BJP, BJD president and leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday lashed out at the ruling outfit accusing it of concentrating on ‘horse trading’ for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
Jena had resigned from BJD on Tuesday. His wife Subasini Jena is a BJD MLA from Basta constituency in Balasore district.
Naveen said he had requested the state government to take immediate action for the well-being of lakhs of Odias stranded in the war-torn Middle East countries. “Instead of doing that, the BJP is concentrating on horse trading for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state,” he said.
With four days to go for the RS elections, the BJD supremo’s statement assumes significance as the contest for the fourth seat between Dilip Ray, the BJP-backed Independent candidate and Dr Datteswar Hota, BJD’s second nominee - supported by Congress and CPM - is expected to be very close.
Though the BJD, Congress and CPM have the combined strength to win the second seat, Ray’s entry has made the fourth seat contest wide open. Going by the numbers, the BJD and Congress alliance has an edge over Ray on paper. The BJD, Congress and CPM can get 33 votes (18 BJD, 14 Congress and one CPM) for the second seat while Ray has 22 BJP surplus votes and will have to bank on the possibility of getting support from BJD as well as Congress legislators.