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

Published on: Dec 10, 2024, 17:50:27 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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