New Delhi/Bhubaneswar, March 17, 2026 — In a major blow to the Congress in Odisha, the party on Tuesday expelled three of its MLAs — including first-time legislator and history-making Sofia Firdous — for defying the party whip and cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections held on Monday. The move has sent shockwaves through the state unit, with the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) branding the rebels as “traitors” who are “betraying the nation.”
Sofia Firdous, the Congress MLA from Barabati-Cuttack, is Odisha’s first-ever Muslim woman legislator. The 34-year-old (born August 23, 1991) stunned party leaders by voting for BJP-backed independent candidate Dilip Ray instead of the Congress-BJD alliance nominee Datteswar Hota. She was joined by Ramesh Jena (Sana Khemundi) and Dasarathi Gamango (Mohana). The cross-voting, along with support from eight BJD MLAs, helped Ray clinch one of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha, foiling the opposition alliance’s strategy in what was their first joint contest in 26 years. BJP secured two seats comfortably, while BJD won one.
OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das announced the expulsions in a strongly worded statement: “Ramesh Jena, MLA of Sana Khemundi; Sofia Firdous, MLA of Barabati-Cuttack; and Dasarathi Gamango, MLA of Mohana, have been expelled from the party for defying the party whip and voting for a candidate supported by the BJP in the Rajya Sabha election. Those who betray Congress are betraying the nation.” The party has also initiated disqualification proceedings under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) and warned of further action.
Firdous’s decision was widely anticipated within party circles following her father’s dramatic exit from the Congress. Her father is Mohammed Moquim, a prominent Cuttack-based businessman and former MLA from the same Barabati-Cuttack constituency (2019–2024). Moquim, founder and managing director of the Metro Group (a leading real estate firm), was expelled by the Congress in December 2025 after he wrote a critical letter to Sonia Gandhi, slamming “wrong decisions and misguided leadership” and urging a bigger role for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He was earlier disqualified from contesting the 2024 Assembly polls due to a conviction in a vigilance case, paving the way for his daughter to contest and win the seat by over 8,000 votes.
Firdous, an IIM Bangalore alumnus with a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from KIIT University, built a successful career in real estate before entering politics. She succeeded her father as the Congress candidate in 2024 and was hailed as a rising star for her oratory skills and articulation. Until recently, she had publicly affirmed her loyalty to the Congress even after her father’s expulsion, stating she would continue serving the people under the party banner.
The cross-voting row erupted amid allegations that the MLAs had publicly criticised the Congress-BJD alliance before the polls. Gamango reportedly argued that party whips do not apply in Rajya Sabha elections. The development comes as a fresh embarrassment for the Congress in Odisha, where the party is already struggling to regain ground after poor performance in the 2024 Assembly polls.
Political observers note that Firdous’s rebellion — coming just months after her historic entry as the state’s first Muslim woman MLA — has not only weakened the opposition alliance but also exposed deep internal rifts within the Congress. The party now faces the challenge of containing further dissent while pursuing disqualification to retain the seats.
As the dust settles on this political earthquake in Odisha, questions linger over the future of the expelled MLAs and the stability of the Congress organisation in the state.
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