Bhubaneswar: With two Independent MLAs announcing loyalties to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on eve of Rajya Sabha polls, Congress today moved the Election Commission seeking to debar Talcher legislator Braja Pradhan from voting Friday.
"We have urged the ECI and its Observer to debar Talcher MLA Braja Pradhan from voting tomorrow," Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress said. Accompanied by party`s RS candidate Ranjib Biswal and other senior leaders, Singh met special observer for Rajya Sabha polls Anil Jha and apprised him about the developments.
Terming two Independent MLAs - Jitu Patnaik of Champua and Braja Pradhan of Talcher - becoming associate members of the ruling BJD a day before Rajya Sabha elections as a "fraud on democracy," Singh alleged that none other than the Chief Minister was involved in the undemocratic practice.
"We demand restriction of Braja Pradhan`s vote as he was one of the proposers of Congress candidate Ranjib Biswal," Singh said adding the entire nation will see how "horse trading" is going on before the Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha.
He, however, exuded confidence that the Congress candidate will win the polls tomorrow even as the party has only 27 MLAs votes against the requirement of 30 votes for a candidate to register victory.
"I have faxed a letter to ECI informing them about joining of Pradhan in BJD and extending support to BJD backed Independent candidate Raghunath Mohapatra. Since there is horse trading, Pradhan should be debarred from the voting process in the Rajya Sabha polls," Biswal said.
Special observer Jha said "I have received a memorandum from the Congress delegation. We will verify the allegations made by the Congress leaders."
Meanwhile, BJP central leader Arun Singh held meetings with party leaders and informed them about the decision of the Parliamentary Board. Earlier, the state BJP had left the decision on whom to support in the Rajya Sabha elections on the Central Parliamentary Board.
While the party was yet to officially announce its stand on the role of its six MLAs, sources said the Central Parliamentary Board of BJP was against the idea of increasing the strength of Congress in Rajya Sabha.
Earlier in the day, Independent MLAs Jitu Patnaik and Braja Pradhan had announced their support to BJD which has been backing Independent candidate Raghunath Mohapatra.
Both the Independent MLAs also announced that they would work as associate members of the ruling party headed by Naveen Patnaik. "We will work as associate members of the BJD," Jitu Patnaik told reporters after meeting the Chief Minister here at Naveen Niwas.
