Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik launched a sharp attack on the state government on Wednesday, alleging that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is engaging in horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.
Addressing the media, Patnaik stated, “I have requested the state government to take immediate action for lakhs of Odias who are stranded in Middle East countries. But instead of concentrating on that, the BJP in Odisha is focusing on horse-trading in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections here in the state. As you can see, this is a shocking state of affairs in our state.”
The former Chief Minister said this during a visit to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar to check on a senior BJD leader from his constituency, Krushna Chandra Nayak. Nayak, the Block Chairman of Shergad, is receiving medical care following a violent assault allegedly carried out by BJP cadres at the block office on Tuesday.
Responding to the escalating political friction, the opposition BJD issued a three-line whip on Wednesday, mandating that all its MLAs remain in Bhubaneswar from March 13 to 16 for the Rajya Sabha proceedings.
“All MLAs of the Biju Janata Dal in the Odisha Legislative Assembly are hereby informed that the voting for the Rajya Sabha Elections 2026 will be held on Monday, March 16, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the premises of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. All Biju Janata Dal MLAs are directed not to leave headquarters and to remain present in Bhubaneswar from March 13 to March 16, 2026, unfailingly,” reads the order issued by BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik.
She further instructed the MLAs that the order should be treated as a three-line whip, requiring strict compliance.
Speculation regarding horse-trading has intensified ahead of the polls, with political observers closely monitoring the situation for potential cross-voting or shifting loyalties among the members.
