Bhubaneswar, March 13: With fears of cross-voting looming large for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha, for which no party has clear numbers, BJD president Naveen Patnaik has directed all party MLAs to attend three consecutive preparatory evening sessions at Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar on march 13, 14 and 15.
In a formal communication issued to all BJD MLAs, Patnaik has made attendance mandatory for the meetings, which will be held under his chairmanship at his residence on March 13, 14 and 15 ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16.
The directive comes a day after the BJD Chief Whip Pramila Mallik issued a three-line whip on March, asking all MLAs to remain present in Bhubaneswar from March 13 to March 16 and to participate in voting between 9 AM and 4 PM on the day of polling.
“Please refer to the 3-line Whip issued on 11.03.2026 by BJD Chief Whip relating to Rajya Sabha Elections to take place from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on 16 March 2026. In this connection, you are requested to attend the following meetings under my chairmanship as per schedule without fail,” the official communication stated.
Mandatory Meeting Schedule:
March 13, 2026 (Friday) | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Presentation on Rajya Sabha election procedure
March 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Training programme for BJD MLAs on voting rules & procedure
March 15, 2026 (Sunday) | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Meeting of the BJD Legislature Party
It clearly states that attendance is compulsory and must be treated as "Priority." "This may be treated as “Priority”,” added the official communication.
The BJD and Congress have tied up for the fourth seat and fielded noted urologist Datteswar Hota as the “common candidate”. Famous hotelier and former Union Minister Dilip Ray is contesting against Hota as an Independent candidate with support from the BJP.
Given the strength of various parties in the State Assembly, the BJP has enough MLAs to secure at least two Rajya Sabha seats, while the BJD has the numbers for one seat. For the fourth seat, no party has clear numbers. Currently, the BJP and BJD hold two seats each.
In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the ruling BJP has 79 MLAs and also enjoys the support of three Independent legislators. The BJD, the main opposition force, has dropped to 48 MLAs after recently suspending two legislators – Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahaud - for alleged anti-party activities.
The Congress has 14 MLAs, while the CPI(M) has one. As per the Election Commission’s formula for electing Rajya Sabha MPs, a candidate needs at least 30 first-preference valid votes to win each seat.
