BJD MLA Debi Ranjan Tripathy openly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Biju Janata Dal’s alliance with the Congress party during the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha.
Speaking to the media after casting his vote on March 16, 2026, Tripathy clarified that his vote went to independent candidate Dilip Ray—described by him as a true representative of the Biju legacy—rather than the common BJD-Congress nominee.
In his statement, Tripathy emphasised his lifelong commitment to non-Congress politics and the ideals of Biju Patnaik. He highlighted personal and familial grievances, noting that his father, Prabat Kumar Tripathy, has been a victim in the current political emergency situation. Tripathy accused the BJD leadership of forcing the alliance without consulting party workers or MLAs, claiming thousands of BJD supporters, well-wishers, and anti-Congress voices opposed it.
He denied it was mere cross-voting, framing his action as a democratic protest to awaken the leadership and remind them that the BJD belongs to lakhs of workers, not a “private limited” entity. Tripathy stressed that his vote aimed to strengthen Biju ideology and make Odisha more influential in Delhi, while reiterating his staunch opposition to Congress.
This dissent comes amid reports of multiple BJD and Congress MLAs cross-voting in favour of Dilip Ray, an independent backed by the BJP, reviving memories of past horse-trading incidents in Odisha’s Rajya Sabha polls.
