Prez Poll: BJD, Cong & BJP ask MLAs not to leave Bhubaneswar before voting

As the countdown for the ensuing Presidential elections begins, all the three major political parties in Odisha Saturday held parleys and asked the MLAs not to leave the state capital before casting their votes.

Congress was the first party which held a meeting of its MLAs at the Assembly premises. OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak, who returned from New Delhi on the day, was present at the meeting presided over by Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra.

Pattnaik informed the party's decision at the meeting. He announced that former MLA Ganeswar Behera and sitting MLA Santosh Singh Saluja are appointed as the as the party's agents for the presidential poll. All our MLAs will vote for Sinha in the ensuing Presidential elections, voting for which will be held at the state assembly on Monday, Pattnayak said.

The ruling BJD also held its legislature party meeting attended by 110 MLAs. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik presided over the meeting held at the assembly premises. Including the Speaker, the BJD has 112 MLAs while two of other MLAs have been expelled from the regional outfit.

One of the expelled MLA Pradeep Panigrahi has announced his support for NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu, the NDA's candidate for the Presidential poll. Another expelled MLA Prasant Jagdev is in jail and he is likely to come for taking part in election on Monday, sources said.

The state's lone Independent MLA Makaranda Muduli from Rayagada has also announced his support for Murmu.

Presiding over the meeting, Patnaik said the BJD has been a proposer for Murmu as she is the daughter of Odisha in the fray for the country's topmost position. He asked all the party MLAs to vote for Murmu and ensure that not a single vote become invalid.

This apart, sources said, the BJD has also asked its MLAs not to leave the state capital till voting is completed on Monday. The MLAs were told to write one in numerical near name of Murmu as the first preference. The senior leaders demonstrated before the new members on how to cast votes in the presidential elections.

The BJP MLAs also held a separate meeting at the party office here which was attended by 21 members of the party's 22 lawmakers. Leader of Opposition P K Naik was absent in the meeting as he is hospitalized due to post COVID-19 complication.

The saffron party cautioned all its MLAs to cast their votes in favour of Murmu without any fault. The party also warned the MLAs to ensure that not a single vote become invalid in the process.

All our MLAs will remain present in Bhubaneswar while all MPs have left for Delhi to cast votes in Parliament, a senior BJP leader said adding that Murmu will have better prospect to win the polls.