Odisha RS polls: Scuffle breaks out between BJP, BJD MLAs
What's the story
A scuffle broke out between MLAs of the BJD and BJP in Odisha amid the ongoing Rajya Sabha polls on Monday. Video shared by ANI showed some MLAs raising their voices as others tried to intervene. A little while ago, voting was also briefly halted after a BJP MLA was given a second ballot paper. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) objected to this, calling it a violation of election rules.
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#WATCH | Bhubaneswar: A scuffle broke out between MLAs of the BJD and BJP in Odisha amid Rajya Sabha voting in the state. pic.twitter.com/Fri0pzWGjN
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2026
Patnaik's objection
Patnaik slams election officials for accepting Mohapatra's vote
The dispute centered around BJP MLA Upasana Mohapatra, who requested a new ballot paper after making an error on her first one. Mohapatra was eventually allowed to cast her vote. BJD president Naveen Patnaik slammed the election officials for accepting Mohapatra's vote and issuing her a second ballot paper. He said this act was "completely against democratic norms and a violation of election rules." The voting process was resumed after about half an hour of delay due to this controversy.
Voting process
Rajya Sabha voting begins in Odisha
Voting for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha started at 9:00am. Odisha Health and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling was the first to vote, followed by Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari. Patnaik also cast his vote as several MLAs lined up at the polling booth on the assembly premises. The BJP has fielded Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar as official candidates while supporting Dilip Ray as an Independent nominee.
Candidate lineup
BJD has nominated Santrupt Misra, Dr Datteswar Hota
The BJD has nominated Santrupt Misra and Dr. Datteswar Hota, who is supported by the Congress and CPI(M). This election is significant, as it fills four upcoming vacancies in the Rajya Sabha. The voting is being held after a gap of 12 years, with five candidates contesting for four seats due to fall vacant on April 2.
Assembly strength
BJP has comfortable majority to win 2 seats unopposed
In the 147-member Odisha assembly, the BJP has 79 MLAs with support from three Independents. The BJD has 48 members after two were suspended on January 15. Meanwhile, the Congress has 14 MLAs and CPI(M) one legislator. A candidate needs at least 30 first preference votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. After electing their candidates, both parties will have surplus votes: 22 for BJP and 18 for BJD.