Bhubaneswar: Newly-elected Rajya Sabha member Dilip Ray visited Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Tuesday to express his gratitude and devotion following a hard-fought win characterized by cross-voting.

Speaking to the media, Ray expressed confidence in his electoral success, crediting it to personal relationships and the goodwill from various legislators.

The BJP-backed Independent candidate made a remarkable return to the Upper House of Parliament after 14 years, defeating the BJD and Congress’ common candidate Datteswar Hota to secure the vital fourth seat for Rajya Sabha, marking a contest in Odisha after 12 years.

Despite attempts at ‘resort politics’ and evening meetings leading up to the election, the Opposition BJD and Congress were unable to maintain party unity. This election mirrored Ray’s 2002 victory, with 11 MLAs—eight from BJD and three from Congress—defying party lines to cross-vote in his favor.

“This victory is the victory of the people of Odisha, and particularly the vote given to me by the BJP MLAs, and the Congress and BJD brothers, this is their victory,” he stated to the media.

Ray later elaborated on his victory on X, stating, “I am profoundly grateful and humbled by the outcome of today’s Rajya Sabha election in Odisha. This achievement transcends any individual — it embodies the confidence and generosity displayed by Hon’ble MLAs irrespective of political affiliations. My warmest thanks go to the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party for their consistent backing, and to those from the BJD, Congress, and Independents who chose to offer their support. Such collaborative spirit exemplifies the finest traditions of our democracy, bringing diverse voices together for the common good of Odisha and its people. With humility and a strong sense of responsibility, I undertake this duty. In the Rajya Sabha, I shall endeavor to faithfully serve the hopes of Odisha’s citizens and contribute meaningfully to our state’s and nation’s development. Pranam and sincere thanks for your trust. Jai Jagannath.”

The election was for four seats from Odisha. The BJP, with around 82 MLAs, including three Independents, was expected to secure two seats, while the BJD, with 48 MLAs, aimed for one. The BJD had 18 surplus votes after their win and hoped to gather support for Hota from Congress’ 14 MLAs and one from CPM.

In accordance with pre-election calculations that set the threshold for outright victory at 30 first-preference votes, Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal, incumbent MP Sujeet Kumar, and BJD candidate Santrupt Misra each won their respective seats comfortably. Samal and Kumar received 35 first-preference votes each, while Misra garnered 31. Ray and Hota finished tied with 23 first-preference votes each, but Ray ultimately triumphed due to a stronger performance in the second-preference count.

Chief Minister Mohan Majhi congratulated the state BJP president Samal, Kumar, and Ray on their Rajya Sabha election victories. “This is a memorable day for the state of Odisha. BJP candidates Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar, and our BJP-supported candidate, Dilip Ray, won with overwhelming margins. All the legislators, whether from the Congress party or the BJD, voted for all three candidates to advance Odisha’s development. Certainly, they will contribute significantly to making Odisha a prosperous state,” he told reporters.

BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik strongly criticized the cross-voting by several BJD MLAs, who defied the official party whip. “I had spoken to many of you in the last few days about the BJP and their allies and the kind of horse-trading they may attempt. They have gathered a number of people who voted for them. Most of those who cross-voted have criminal past. You can check how many of their parents went to jail,” he remarked to the media.

Following the Rajya Sabha results, Bijoy Mohapatra, a close associate of Biju Patnaik who had previously fallen out with Naveen Patnaik, commented: ‘Naveen babu should self-analyze.’

His son Aravind Mohapatra, an MLA from Patkura, along with Champua MLA Sanatan Mahakud, were suspended from BJD for alleged anti-party activities, reportedly voting in favor of Ray. Similarly, Basta MLA Subhasini Jena, whose husband and former Balasore MP Rabindra Kumar Jena recently switched to BJP, and Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Souvik Biswal, son of Pravat Biswal who was expelled from BJD for publicly criticizing party leadership over Rajya Sabha selection, also cross-voted.

Devi Ranjan Tripathy opposed the party due to the alliance with Congress. His father, Pravat Tripathy, was also expelled from BJD.

Tirtol MLA Ramakant Bhoi, who attended a breakfast meeting at Naveen Niwas earlier that day along with Subhasini Jena and Devi Ranjan Tripathy, also voted in favor of Ray. The BJD later released photos from the meeting to convey a message of unity within the party.

Deputy Opposition chief whip in the Assembly Pratap Deb, who was the BJD counting agent, informed the media that Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki), Subasini Jena (Basta), and Ramakant Bhoi (Tirtol) did not vote for the party’s authorized candidates. Additionally, the two suspended BJD MLAs Sanatan Mahakud (Champua) and Arvind Mohapatra (Patkura) also supported Ray.

Three Congress MLAs—Sofia Firdous (Barabati-Cuttack), Ramesh Chandra Jena (Sanakhemundi), and Dasarathi Gomango (Mohana)—also reportedly voted against the joint BJD-Congress candidate. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das, who was the Congress counting agent, stated that the AICC has been informed about the cross-voting by the three MLAs.