BJP Sweeps Odisha Rajya Sabha Polls; CM Majhi Credits PM Modi's Leadership

Amid allegations of cross-voting by MLAs from opposition parties, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, senior party leader Sujeet Kumar, BJP-backed candidate Dilip Ray, and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Santrupt Misra won the Rajya Sabha biennial elections held in the state on Monday.

Meanwhile, the joint candidate fielded by the BJD and the Indian National Congress (INC), Dr Datteshwar Hota, was defeated by veteran politician Dilip Ray, who contested as an independent candidate with the backing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Reacting to the outcome, the Chief Minister said the result marked a significant moment for the state.

"Today is a memorable day in the history of Odisha. This overwhelming victory of BJP and BJP-backed candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections is not only a win for the party but also reflects the strong leadership and visionary guidance of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Majhi said.

The Chief Minister added that the election of the three candidates would strengthen the representation of Odisha in the Upper House.

"Our newly elected MPs -- Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar and Dilip Ray -- will safeguard Odisha's interests in the Rajya Sabha and work towards positioning the state as a leading contributor to Prime Minister Modi's vision of 'Viksit Bharat' and a 'Samruddha Odisha'," he said.

Majhi also criticised remarks made earlier in the day by Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik, who reportedly described MLAs voting according to their conscience as having a "criminal background".

"The remarks made by Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik, accusing MLAs who voted according to their conscience of having a criminal background, are unfortunate and an affront to the dignity of democracy," Majhi said.

He added that such comments were unexpected from someone who had served as Chief Minister for a long period.

"Calling those MLAs 'criminals', who voted keeping the interests of their constituencies and the development of the state in mind, amounts to insulting the thousands of voters who elected them," he said.

Taking a dig at the former Chief Minister, Majhi questioned why Patnaik had campaigned for those MLAs during elections if he believed they had a criminal background.

Meanwhile, opposition parties said that 11 legislators -- eight from the BJD and three from the Congress - allegedly voted in defiance of their respective party whips during the Rajya Sabha polls.

- IANS