Bhubaneswar, March 12: The Odisha unit of the Indian National Congress has issued a whip to all its legislators in the state Assembly ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, directing them to remain present and vote according to the party’s decision.
The directive has been issued to ensure full attendance of Congress MLAs during the election process and to prevent any instance of cross-voting.
“All the Congress Legislature Party MLAs are directed not to leave HQ and be present in Bhubaneswar from 13th to 16th March unfailingly,” said chief whip Dr CS Razeen Ekka, chief whip (CLP), Odisha Legislative Assembly.
The Rajya Sabha polls in Bhubaneswar, scheduled for March 16, are expected to witness a competitive contest, as multiple candidates are in the fray for the available seats from Odisha.
In the state Assembly, Congress legislators are set to support a joint candidate backed by BJD.
On Wednesday, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) issued a whip to its MLAs.
According to the whip issued by Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, all party legislators have been instructed not to leave Bhubaneswar from March 13 to March 16.
The BJD has fielded Santrupt Mishra and Dr Datteswar Hota as its candidates, while the ruling BJP has nominated Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar. The BJP has also extended support to senior leader Dilip Ray, who is contesting as an Independent candidate.
