A major development has occurred in the Congress party in Odisha, with the party suspending three MLAs for voting in favor of an independent candidate backed by the BJP during the Rajya Sabha elections. The suspended legislators are Ramesh Chandra Jena, Dasharathi Gomango, and Sofia Firdos.
The three MLAs cast their votes on Monday for Dilip Ray, the BJP-supported candidate, despite the party officially supporting the BJD candidate. Arabinda Das, state Congress media cell chairperson, stated that the suspension was imposed because the MLAs acted against party interests. He also indicated that the Speaker would be informed to consider disqualifying them from the Assembly under relevant provisions.
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das expressed disappointment, saying the MLAs’ actions were unexpected and deceitful. He added that, in accordance with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, steps would be taken to disqualify them from the Assembly. He further noted that the party’s high command did not endorse their actions.
The cross-voting was not limited to the three Congress MLAs; eight BJD legislators also supported Dilip Ray, resulting in his victory over BJD candidate Datteshwar Hota in the Rajya Sabha polls. The incident has created political turmoil in the state, prompting the Congress to take swift action against the three MLAs to maintain party discipline.