All eyes on move of Congress

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress on Sunday deferred a decision on Rajya Sabha candidate to Monday, the last date of filing of nomination papers, even as the BJP is most likely to abstain.  Leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo told this paper that more or less the party has decided to abstain. “We will neither vote with the BJD nor with the Congress,” Singhdeo said. He, however, said a meeting of senior leaders would be held on Monday to formalise the decision. With the BJP deciding to abstain and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announcing its decision to vote for the Independent candidate AV Swamy under pressure from the Central leadership, his victory chances have brightened. Swamy’s name was floated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday.  Sources said unless something happens overnight, the BJD and the BJD-supported candidates will win all the three Rajya Sabha seats in the March 30 elections. President of the OPCC Niranjan Patnaik on Sunday presided over a high-level meeting here to decide the party’s strategy. “The party has not been able to take decision in view of the fluid situation,” a senior leader told this paper. Sources said there was only one option before the Congress __ to announce its support to an Independent. But if the BJP abstains, there is no point in supporting a candidate also, a senior leader said. Out of its 27 MLAs, the Congress actually has 25 votes. Shivaji Majhi and Gregory Minz were suspended for their alleged role in horsetrading in the 2010 Rajya Sabha polls. Majhi and Minz had abstained which had led to the victory of all the three BJD candidates. Majhi and Minz have not attended even a single meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) since. They also rarely attend the Assembly. In this situation it is not clear to which candidate these two MLAs will vote. If the BJP abstains, the Independent candidate, if the Congress props up one, will lose if there is no cross voting from the BJD which is most unlikely.  The two BJD candidates and the Independent supported by the party will file their nomination papers on Monday. Political observers are waiting for the Congress decision. It is learnt, the State unit has left the issue to the High Command.

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