The Rajya Sabha election results from Odisha have concluded with a dramatic twist. Independent candidate Dilip Ray, supported by the BJP, emerged victorious, securing a decisive win over BJD’s common candidate. Alongside him, Manmohan Samal, Sujit Kumar, and Santrupt Misra also won seats in the three-member contest.
Close Contest Between BJP-Backed Independent and BJD Candidate
The key battle was between BJD’s common candidate and the BJP-supported independent Dilip Ray. Ray clinched the seat after a series of strategic cross-votes, highlighting the complexities of Odisha’s political landscape.
BJP Nilgiri MLA Santosh Khatua revealed the distribution of first-preference votes:
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Manmohan Samal – 35
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Sujit Kumar – 35
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Santrupt Misra – 31
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Dilip Ray – 23
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Datteswar Hota – 23
Transfer of Surplus Votes Secures Dilip Ray’s Win
As per Rajya Sabha election rules, votes exceeding the required quota are transferred according to voters’ second preferences. After transferring surplus votes, Datteswar Hota’s tally rose to 24, while 5.8% of votes from Samal and Kumar (11 votes) were transferred to Dilip Ray. This brought his final total to 34 votes, ensuring his victory.
Final vote count:
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Manmohan Samal – 2,941
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Sujit Kumar – 2,941
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Santrupt Misra – 3,100
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Datteswar Hota – 2,300
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Dilip Ray – 3,418
Strategic Cross-Voting Plays a Key Role
BJP strategically secured cross-votes to ensure Dilip Ray’s win. Santosh Khatua explained, “After the first 30 opposition votes, BJP members cast their ballots intelligently: first preference to Samal and second to Dilip Ray. Similarly, other votes were cast with Sujit Kumar as first preference and Dilip Ray second. Once first and second preferences were counted, no further votes affected the outcome.”
Cross-Voting Shakes Party Lines
The Rajya Sabha elections saw significant cross-voting:
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From BJD, suspended MLAs Sanatan Mahakud and Arvind Mahapatra voted across party lines. Other BJD MLAs including Devi Ranjan Tripathy and Souvic Biswal joined eight members in cross-voting, challenging the party’s strategy.
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Congress MLAs Dasarathi Gomango, Sophia Firdous, and Ramesh Jena also participated in cross-voting.
These moves disrupted the expected outcomes and highlighted the growing influence of strategic voting in Odisha politics.