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Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday intensified his allegations of "horse-trading" against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections today.
This comes after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday alleged that four individuals from Odisha attempted to lure Congress MLAs with an offer of Rs 5 crore each for cross-voting in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, calling it an attempt at "Operation Kamala". When asked whether a complaint would be filed against those who lured him, he said, "Definitely, a complaint will be filed. The law will take care of the future." In an X post, Patnaik claimed that reports are emerging from Bengaluru that four individuals have been arrested "for attempting to hand over blank cheques to MLAs with the intent to buy votes for BJP-supported Rajya Sabha candidates". Characterising the arrest as "major proof" of his previous "horse-trading allegations" against the BJP, he said, "I have been consistently stating that the BJP has been engaged in horse-trading-like activities to bring MLAs from other parties in Odisha over to its side." "The people of Odisha are watching everything and will certainly keep this in mind," he added. In the Rajya Sabha elections to be held today, the Congress, along with the Biju Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has decided to support a joint candidate, Datteshwar Hota. The biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha to fill 37 seats across 10 states are scheduled for today, with counting of votes set for the same day at 5 pm. Congress, along with the Biju Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has decided to support a joint candidate, Datteshwar Hota. The term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected. Out of these, 26 candidates have already secured victory unopposed. Voting will now take place for the remaining 11 seats, including five from Bihar, four from Odisha, and two from Haryana. (ANI)
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