With resignations of its two MLAs recently, the Congress is facing the threat of losing its status as the main opposition party in the Stated Assembly.
There are now only 13 members left in the 147-seat House, two less than the required strength for the Opposition recognition. As per Rules of the House, a party needs to have at least 10 per cent of the total Assembly strength to be considered as the main opposition.
Notably, Jharsuguda MLA Naba Kishore Das, who has joined the BJD, formally resigned from the Assembly on Monday. Last week, Sundargarh Congress MLA Jogesh Singh had also resigned after being suspended from the party for alleged anti-party activities.
In November 2018, Koraput MLA Krishna Chandra Sagaria had also resigned as a Congress MLA.
Around the same time, however, George Tirkey, the lone Samata Kranti Dal MLA has joined the Congress.
The Congress had faced a jolt last year when its three-time MLA Subal Sahu passed away in August. His wife Rita Sahu won the seat in the subsequent bye-poll on a BJD ticket.
Altogether, 16 Congress MLAs were elected to the Assembly in the 2014 polls, but the party, at present, is left with just 13 lawmakers.
The House is scheduled to meet for its Budget Session on February 4 when the Speaker is likely to take a call on the status of the party.
However, Leader of Opposition and veteran Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said the Speaker's decision would not have any effect on him. "If the Congress loses the status of the opposition party, the State Government will take away the vehicle allotted to me and the two staffs engaged at my official residence. So what? I used to criticise the Government when I was not the Leader of Opposition and will continue to do so," he said.
A senior BJD leader, when asked about the situation, said it is unlikely that the Speaker would change the status of the Congress as the main opposition party, given the fact that it is the last session of the Assembly before the elections. The polls are due in April-May as the term of the Assembly will end on June 11.