Former Union Minister and renowned hotelier Dilip Ray was able to pull off his win in the Rajya Sabha elections because of 11 Opposition MPs who cross-voted for him, helping him defeat the Congress–Biju Janata Dal (BJD) joint candidate, Datteswar Hota. The Congress has since suspended the three MLAs who voted for him.
Here are the MLAs who cross-voted for the BJP-backed candidate.
Debi Ranjan Tripathy (BJD)
The 38-year-old son of senior leader Pravat Tripathy, Debi entered electoral politics in 2019 from Banki in Cuttack district, his father’s bastion.
After his father, a four-time MLA, was arrested by the CBI in connection with a chit fund case in October 2014 and later released on bail, the party fielded Debi in the 2019 Assembly elections. Active in politics since his student days, Debi leveraged his father’s influence to win the seat in both 2019 and 2024. He has previously served as the president of the BJD’s student wing.
The senior Tripathy, who has been less active in the BJD since his son entered politics, recently criticised Naveen Patnaik over the party’s stance on the Waqf law.
Souvic Biswal (BJD)
Souvic, 33, entered electoral politics in 2019 after his father, senior BJD leader Prabhat Biswal — a three-time former MLA from Choudwar-Cuttack — was denied a ticket following his arrest in a chit fund case in September 2017.
Souvic won the seat in both 2019 and 2024. He later blamed some senior party leaders for the BJD’s defeat in the 2024 polls and accused them of conspiring against his father.
An MBA graduate, Souvic has maintained distance from the party since his father’s expulsion for questioning Patnaik’s decision to nominate Santrupt Misra as the BJD’s Rajya Sabha candidate.
Subasini Jena (BJD)
Subasini, 59, is the wife of former BJD Balasore MP and businessman Rabindra Jena. She became politically active through organisational work after her husband was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014.
After Rabindra lost his seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Subasini intensified her political activities in the Basta Assembly segment, from where she successfully contested the 2024 Assembly elections.
A day after her husband quit the BJD and joined the BJP, Subasini stated on March 11 that she would vote as directed by Naveen Patnaik, whom she considers her leader. Rabindra Jena has been named in a CBI chargesheet related to a chit fund scam.
Ramakant Bhoi (BJD)
Bhoi, 48, began his political career with the BJP and unsuccessfully contested the Tirtol constituency in 2014 and 2019. However, he significantly increased his vote share—from 14,516 in 2014 to 53,581 in 2019.
He joined the BJD in October 2020 ahead of a bypoll after being denied a BJP ticket. The BJD nominated him in the 2024 Assembly elections, where he won by a margin of over 28,400 votes.
Naba Kishor Mallick (BJD)
A leader with considerable grassroots influence in the Jayadev constituency on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, Mallick was chosen by the BJD over senior leader and sitting MLA Arabinda Dhali in the 2024 Assembly elections.
The 45-year-old contested against Dhali, who had joined the BJP. In 2019, Mallick ran as an Independent and finished runner-up with 44,300 votes. In 2024, he secured 76,790 votes.
Notably, Mallick was missing for three days before the Rajya Sabha elections, defying a party whip directing all MLAs to remain in Bhubaneswar.
Chakramani Kanhar (BJD)
The 46-year-old tribal leader has represented the Baliguda constituency in Kandhamal district since 2019.
Kanhar, who lists agriculture as his profession in his election affidavit, has maintained a low profile and has not been very active in day-to-day party politics or outspoken on Assembly issues.
Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud (BJD)
Both Mohapatra and Mahakud were recently suspended from the BJD.
Arvind, the son of senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra, joined the BJD ahead of the 2024 polls after quitting his corporate job abroad. He successfully contested from the Patkura seat.
Mahakud, a two-time MLA, represents the mineral-rich Champua constituency and is among the richest legislators, with declared assets worth ₹227 crore in his 2024 election affidavit.
Sofia Firdous (Congress)
The 34-year-old is the daughter of senior leader Mohammed Moquim, who was expelled from the party in December last year.
Sofia, a B Tech graduate in civil engineering who previously worked in real estate, entered politics from her father’s bastion, Barabati-Cuttack. Her father was barred from contesting the 2024 polls after the Orissa High Court dismissed his appeal against conviction in a corruption case.
In 2024, Sofia became the state’s first Muslim woman MLA. She had earlier expressed displeasure over the Congress’s decision to ally with the BJD, alleging that she was not consulted.
Ramesh Jena (Congress)
A three-time Congress MLA from Sanakhemundi, the 48-year-old has a strong personal support base across much of Ganjam district, a traditional BJD bastion.
Jena was the only Congress candidate to win in the district in the 2024 polls, which were otherwise swept by the BJP.
Although he was arrested several times on serious charges during the BJD regime, he has not been convicted in any case. Owing to his popularity, he was appointed the Congress’s Ganjam district president.
Dasarathi Gomango (Congress)
The 55-year-old tribal leader has represented the Mohana Assembly constituency in Gajapati district since 2019.
A long-time Congress associate, he entered electoral politics in 2014, when he narrowly lost the election. Gomango, who lists cultivation and business as his professions in his election affidavit, has been overseeing the party’s organisational work in Gajapati for many years.
