"BJD, Congress should support BJP to secure fourth Rajya Sabha seat in Odisha": Balabhadra Majhi

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 3 (ANI): After Congress and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) declared support for Datteswar Hota as the common candidate for Rajya Sabha elections, BJP MP Balabhadra Majhi asked the Opposition parties to extend support to the BJP to secure the fourth seat in the Upper House of Parliament.
Downplaying the Congress-BJD alliance for one Rajya Sabha seat, Majhi said that the BJD and Congress have never allied in the past and are "unlikely to do so" for the upcoming elections.
"BJD and Congress have never allied and are unlikely to do so. They will need the support of at least 12 MLAs to get the fourth seat, which is difficult. They both should support us, for we are taking the 4th seat," the BJP leader told ANI on Monday.
Datteswar Hota was declared as a common candidate by the BJD chief Naveen Patnaik for the fourth Rajya Sabha, and asked all parties to extend their support, while the party declared Santrupt Misra as the candidate for the third seat.
On Sunday, Congress MLA Sagar Charan Das said the party leadership has instructed him to back Datteswar Hota.
Speaking to ANI, Das highlighted the achievements of Hota, emphasing that it's a good choice to support "pure Odiya".
"This time, Congress is playing an important role. Datteswar Hota has been declared a common candidate because he is a renowned doctor from Odisha, and his contribution to the society of Odisha is immense. So it is a very good choice to support pure Odiya," he said.
"We will also support him because that is a clear instruction from our president and the AICC," the Congress leader added.
Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das hinted that three of the four Rajya Sabha seats are set to be swept by the BJP, given their strength in the Assembly, while the Opposition parties are aiming to secure the fourth seat.
He said that the Congress and the BJD decided to announce a joint candidate to avoid the "horse trading" practice in the upcoming polls.
"Odisha had four Rajya Sabha seats, three of which were clear, but one was unclear. Therefore, the BJD and Congress could have contested that seat together. To explore that possibility, to prevent horse-trading, and to make a decision in the best interest of the state, the candidate should have been someone who was neither in the BJD nor the Congress, but rather an educated person from Odisha, a son of an Odia who had worked for the people. We had said this before. We had asked Naveen Patnaik for time 8-10 days ago; he gave us time, and he also shared the same opinion. He was also strongly against horse-trading in Rajya Sabha elections. In such a situation, Naveen Patnaik has announced a joint candidate," Bhakta Charan Das said.
The polling for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm.
The term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.
The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9. The election process will be completed by March 20. (ANI)