Bhubaneswar, March 3 : BJP MLA Prakash Chandra Sethi on Tuesday expressed confidence that the BJP will secure the maximum number of seats in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Odisha.

Sethi asserted that several MLAs from both the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Indian National Congress (Congress) are going to extend support to the BJP candidate in the interest of the state.

The BJP MLA claimed that internal dissatisfaction within Congress and BJD could influence the voting pattern. According to him, some legislators from the Opposition parties are not happy with their respective party leadership and may cross-vote during the Rajya Sabha polls.

â??We have the support of a total 82 MLAs and two of our candidates will be easily elected to Rajya Sabha. There is a competition for the third and fourth seats. The BJD had already suspended two of its MLAs while two MLAs remained absent from the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting held yesterday,â?? said Sethi.

Sethi maintained that the BJP has the required numbers and is confident of winning the seat with a comfortable margin.

â??BJP is in touch with MLAs from BJD and Congress. In the interest of Odishaâ??s development and political stability, many of them are expected to support our candidate,â?? Sethi said.

He added that even if additional support is needed, the party is hopeful of securing backing from MLAs across party lines. The Rajya Sabha election in Odisha has generated significant political interest, with parties actively engaging in strategic discussions to consolidate support. The final outcome will depend on voting equations and potential cross-party alignments.

It is worth noting that after a high-level meeting of ruling party MLAs held here on Monday, a senior BJP leader informed the media that the party would contest three Rajya Sabha seats.

Meanwhile, a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was also held on Monday at a hotel near Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar to chalk out the partyâ??s strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha.

A BJD-backed common candidate for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat, Dr Datteswar Hota, has also attended the meeting seeking the support of the Congress legislators. BJD President Naveen Patnaik had earlier named senior party leader Santrupt Misra and urologist Datteswar Hota as the two candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

/IANS