BHUBANESWAR: Cross-voting marked the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha on Monday with the BJP securing two seats, BJD managing to push through its first nominee and BJP-backed Independent Dilip Ray staging a scintillating comeback to the Upper House of Parliament after 14 years.
Two official BJP candidates, state unit president Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar, won the polls while the first BJD candidate Santrupt Misra also made it despite cross-voting by at least six legislators of the regional outfit. But the major development was the return of Dilip Ray, who won with the help of cross-voting from at least 11 BJD and Congress legislators. While the official candidates of the BJP, Samal and Kumar, polled 35 first preference votes each, Misra got 31.
The fight for the fourth seat between Ray and the common Opposition candidate Dr Datteswar Hota went down to the wire with both tied at 23 first preference votes. Ray sailed past in the close contest with the help of second preference votes. With this, the Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha turned out to be a repeat of the 2002 elections when Ray had won despite his expulsion from the BJD with cross-voting by more than a dozen MLAs of the BJD and Congress.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated the state BJP president Samal, Kumar and Ray on being elected to the Rajya Sabha. He said their victory marked an important milestone in the collective resolve to build a Samruddha Odisha. He expressed confidence that their presence in the Upper House would further strengthen the state’s voice on issues related to Odisha’s interests, development and public service at the national level.
BJD president and leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik strongly condemned cross-voting by a number of BJD MLAs, defying the official whip. “I had spoken to many of you in the last few days about the BJP and their allies and the kind of horse-trading they may attempt. They have gathered a number of people who voted for them. Most of those who cross-voted have criminal past. You can check how many of their parents went to jail,” he told mediapersons even as voting continued in the Assembly.
Deputy Opposition chief whip in the Assembly Pratap Deb, who was the BJD counting agent, told mediapersons that Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki), Subasini Jena (Basta) and Ramakant Bhoi (Tirtol) did not vote in favour of authorised candidates of the party. Besides, the two suspended BJD MLAs Sanatan Mahakud (Champua) and Arvind Mohapatra (Patkura) also voted for Ray.
The three Congress MLAs who cross-voted were Dasarathi Gomango (Mohana), Sofia Firdous (Barabati-Cuttack) and Ramesh Jena (Sanakhemundi). Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das, who was the Congress counting agent, said the AICC has been informed about cross-voting by the three MLAs.
High drama was also witnessed during voting when Naveen raised serious objections over allowing a second ballot paper to BJP MLA Upasana Mohapatra who allegedly made an error while casting her vote. Strongly objecting to this, Naveen said this is completely against democratic norms and a violation of election rules.
According to sources, the dispute arose after Mohapatra reportedly erred while marking her ballot paper, leading to overwriting. When she asked for a replacement ballot, agents from the BJD and Congress immediately objected and contested the request. Following the objections, voting was temporarily halted.
While the two BJD MLAs Biswal and Tripathy responded to Naveen’s statement by referring to the humiliation meted out to their fathers and the alliance with the Congress for the polls, Firdous avoided the press after casting her vote. “I voted for the candidate who had the blessings of Biju Patnaik,” Biswal said while Tripathy said he stands for non-Congress politics and his vote will make Odisha’s voice strong at the Centre.
How the numbers worked out:
BJP : 79
Independents : 3
Total : 82
BJD : 50 (2 under suspension)
Congress : 14
CPM : 1
Total: 147 MLAs in Assembly
BJP 1st preference votes: Samal and Kumar received 35 each.
BJD 1st preference votes: Misra got 31 votes, Hota got 11 BJD, 11 Congress and 1 CPM vote, tally 23
Dilip Ray 1st preference votes: 12 surplus votes of BJP; 8 BJD (including 2 suspended members) and 3 Congress MLAs, tally 23
Ray and Hota tied at 23 after first preference votes; BJP's second preference votes simply won the game for the former union minister
