Bhubaneswar, March 16: At least three Congress MLAs cross-voted for the BJP-backed Independent candidate Dilip Ray in the ongoing Rajya Sabha polls on Monday.
The three MLAs - Ramesh Jena, Dasarathi Gomango and Sofia Firdous -cross voted for Ray.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das confirmed the cross-voting by three of his party MLAs and said necessary action will be taken against the trio.
“Ramesh Jena, the MLA from Sanakhemundi in Ganjam, Dasarathi Gomango, the MLA from Mohana in Gajapati, and Sofia Firdous from Barabati-Cuttack have cross-voted. We didn't expect this from them. The party has done so much for them,” said Das.
“The party made Dasarathi Gomango district president twice, gave him tickets. We didn't expect this from Ramesh Jena either. Sofia Firdous had a very bright future, and she too has ended her chances of winning ahead in Cuttack,” rued Das.
Das said, “We will go ahead with the disqualification of them. As many selfish people as there are, when they leave the party, the party will only get stronger."
Five candidates are in the fray for four Rajya Sabha seats. Ruling BJP has fielded State unit president Manmohan Samal and re-nominated outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar, besides backing Independent candidate Dilip Ray for the fourth seat.
Naveen Patnaik-led BJD has nominated Santrupt Misra while the party is supporting eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota, as the common candidate, backed by Congress and CPM.
With numbers stacked in their favour, BJP's Samal and Kumar are expected to sail through, as does Misra of BJD. The real battle is for the fourth seat, where Hota and Ray are locked in a tight contest amid fears of cross-voting and allegations of horse-trading.
