Bhubaneswar: BJD supremo and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, today accused the ruling BJP of horse-trading in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Patnaik, a five-time former Chief Minister, made this accusation amid reports that at least eight Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLAs cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections in the state today.

While talking to reporters outside the Assembly, Patnaik also accused the BJP of engineering cross-voting in the Monday’s polls.

“I had earlier said that BJP and its allies will do horse-trading in the Rajya Sabha polls. They have collected the votes of some MLAs through cross-voting. Most of these MLAs have criminal past. The parents of some of these legislators were jailed in the past,” said the LoP.

Patnaik further said that his party will continue its fight to protect the democratic rights of the people of Odisha.

As per reports, BJD MLAs Chakramani Kanhar, Soivic Biswal, Naba Kishor Mallick, Subasini Jena, Devi Ranjan Tripathy and Ramakanta Bhoi along with two suspended legislators—Sanatan Mahakud and Arvind Mohapatra—have defied the party whip and did cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections.

Similarly, there were reports that three Congress legislators—Dasarathi Gomang, Ramesh Jena and Sofia Firdous—also went against the party whip and cross-voted in the polls.