The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided not to support the INDIA bloc’s no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Bishi said on Sunday.
“None from INDI alliance have contacted us seeking our support for the no-trust motion. So it’s certain that we would not vote in favour of the no-trust motion,” said Bishi.
His comment comes days after BJD chief and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the party was examining the development with regard to the no-trust motion. “We are examining it. We will take whatever step is necessary,” Patnaik said earlier this week while replying to a question on his party’s stand on the possible no-confidence move against Dhankhar.
On December 10, the Opposition submitted a notice to move a no-confidence or impeachment resolution against vice president and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar accusing him of engaging in “partisan” conduct and being an “impassioned spokesperson” of the government’s policies at public fora.
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Without the support of the BJD, the no-trust motion against Dhankhar is unlikely to be passed.
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Without the support of the BJD, the no-trust motion against Dhankhar is unlikely to be passed.
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The BJD has seven members in the Upper House of Parliament. In 2022, the party had supported Dhankar’s candidature as the vice-presidential nominee.
In the last six months, BJD MPs Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar have quit the party and Rajya Sabha to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Mohanta was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha a few months ago, Kumar was re-elected last week. In April this year, the BJD supported the Rajya Sabha candidature of Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from Odisha.
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.
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