Naveen Patnaik non-committal over supporting no-trust motion against Dhankhar
The BJD’s seven Rajya Sabha MPs are crucial for the Opposition as they don't have the numbers for the passage of the planned no-confidence motion
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said that his party would take "necessary steps" on the INDIA bloc's possible move to bring a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Patnaik said his party has not yet decided whether it would support any no-confidence motion against Dhankhar if brought to the Rajya Sabha. The BJD has seven members in the Upper House of Parliament.
“We are examining it. We will take whatever step is necessary,” Patnaik said while replying to a question on his party’s stand on the possible no-confidence move against Dhankhar. In 2022, the BJD had supported Dhankar's candidature for the vice president post.
In the last five and a half months, BJD MPs Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar have quit the party and Rajya Sabha to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power in Odisha in June this year.
While Mohanta was re-elected to the Upper House a few months ago, Kumar is all set to be re-elected this month. The party has no MPs in Lok Sabha as all its candidates lost in this year's Lok Sabha polls.
The BJD’s seven Rajya Sabha MPs are crucial for the Opposition bloc as they do not have the numbers to ensure the passage of the planned no-confidence motion in the House.