With four Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in Odisha, political circles are buzzing over the decisive role of two suspended BJD MLAs — Arvind Mahapatra and Sanatan Mahakud — whose votes have suddenly become the centre of attention.
Nominations for the polls can be filed until March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6 and the last date for withdrawal on March 9. All three major parties — BJD, BJP and Congress — are in the thick of candidate selection.
Parliamentary experts point out that because the two MLAs have been suspended from the BJD, they are not bound by the party whip and can vote according to their personal choice. However, they must clearly indicate the polling agent of the party or candidate they support. Failure to do so will result in their votes being rejected by the presiding officer.
BJD currently commands 30 first-preference votes — enough to comfortably secure one seat — with 18 additional votes left over. If Naveen Patnaik’s party changes tack and extends support to Congress, the two parties together could push a fourth candidate into the Rajya Sabha. Congress holds 14 votes while the Left has one; adding BJD’s surplus 18 would give them a winning tally of 33 first-preference votes.
The Congress camp is already active. After the PCC president’s trip to Delhi and confirmed that the party would field one candidate, speculation about a possible BJD-Congress understanding has intensified. Political observers, however, dismiss any alliance as a “daydream”, insisting that the BJD’s current political position makes any tie-up with Congress highly unlikely.
On the other side of the aisle, the BJP starts with a strong hand — 79 MLAs plus support from three independents, taking its total to 82. In the preferential voting system, each candidate needs at least 30 first-preference votes. The BJP already has enough for two seats (60 votes) and requires eight more for a third. If the two suspended BJD MLAs extend support, the BJP would need only six additional votes to clinch the third seat.
All eyes are now on Arvind Mahapatra and Sanatan Mahakud. Their choice — and whether they properly identify the polling agent — could quietly reshape the final outcome of Odisha’s Rajya Sabha battle.
