Bhubaneshwar (Gurpreet Singh): In a major disciplinary move following a turbulent Rajya Sabha election, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik suspended six Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The suspension follows a high stakes biennial poll held on Monday, March 16, where widespread cross-voting by opposition legislators handed a victory to the BJP-backed independent candidate, Dilip Ray.
The suspended BJD legislators include Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Naba Kishor Mallick (Jayadev), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subasini Jena (Basta), Ramakanta Bhoi (Tirtol), and Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki). These six, along with previously suspended MLAs Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud, reportedly defied the party whip to vote for Ray, a former Union Minister and founding member of the BJD. The party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) reviewed their replies to show-cause notices issued on March 17 and found them unsatisfactory, leading to their immediate suspension for “anti-party activities.”
The Rajya Sabha results in Odisha saw the ruling BJP secure two seats for its nominees, Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar, while BJD’s Santrupt Misra won one seat. The fourth and most contested seat was clinched by Dilip Ray, who defeated the BJD and Congress-backed common candidate, Dr. Datteswar Hota. Despite the BJP’s strength of 82 in the 147-member House, Ray secured 11 additional votes—eight from BJD and three from Congress—effectively shifting the balance of power.
In response to the betrayal, BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik indicated that the party would petition the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly to cancel the membership of the suspended legislators under the anti-defection law. The Congress party has taken similar action, suspending its three cross-voting MLAs—Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena, and Dasarathi Gomango. Some of the rebel BJD MLAs have defended their actions by invoking the “Biju legacy,” claiming that their vote for Dilip Ray was a tribute to the party’s roots rather than a defection to the BJP.
