The opposition BJD has announced its readiness to engage in a legal battle to ensure the disqualification of six MLAs suspended for allegedly supporting the BJP during the recent Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha.

During a press conference on Sunday, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty stated that the party is “mentally prepared to carry this battle till the last point.” He added, “If required, the BJD is ready to take the matter to the Supreme Court and ensure that they are disqualified from the House.”

This statement follows the suspension of six MLAs for cross-voting in the election for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha. The suspended members include Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Naba Kishor Mallick (Jayadev), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subasini Jena (Basta), Ramakanta Bhoi (Tirtol), and Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki).

BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra remarked that the party’s political affairs committee took serious note of the actions of the six MLAs, who not only voted against the party’s decision in the Rajya Sabha elections but also publicly criticized the party leadership.

Mishra explained, “According to the BJD constitution, any member who publicly makes a statement against the leadership and opposes a collective decision is as good as self-resigning from the party. The six MLAs are likely to lose their membership in the House because they violated the party constitution.”

He added that since the six legislators did not adhere to the party’s collective decision, the BJD will formally request the Speaker to disqualify their Assembly membership. “If the suspended MLAs take legal steps, the party is prepared to fight it out,” Mishra concluded.