There are four Rajya Sabha vacancies from the state. In the 147-member Assembly, a candidate needs 30 first-preference votes to win. The BJP has 79 MLAs and the support of three independents, allowing it to comfortably send two MPs to the Upper House. It has fielded incumbent MP Sujit Kumar and state BJP president Manmohan Samal.
After ensuring their victory, the BJP will be left with 19 votes along with 3 independents. The party has backed independent candidate Dilip Ray for another seat but will need about 8 more votes for him to win.
The BJD, with 48 MLAs after suspending two members, can send its candidate Santrupt Misra to the Rajya Sabha. For the fourth seat, the party has fielded Datteswar Hota as a joint candidate of the BJD, Congress and CPM.
After allocating 30 votes for Misra, the BJD will be left with 18 votes. Congress has 14 MLAs and CPM one. On paper, the opposition bloc can muster 33 votes, enough for Hota to win unless cross-voting occurs.
Both sides are working to prevent defections. Congress has moved nine of its 14 MLAs to a resort near Bengaluru ahead of the vote. However, party MLA Sofia Firdous said she was not informed of the move and added that she had already decided whom to support.
