Sofia Firdous, a first-time Congress MLA from Odisha, has grabbed headlines after allegedly cross-voting in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party during the Rajya Sabha elections. Her move came amid internal dissent over the Congress party’s decision to support the Biju Janata Dal candidate.
A debutant legislator elected in 2024 from the Barabati-Cuttack constituency, Firdous had reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the party leadership for not consulting MLAs before backing the BJD. She publicly questioned the decision, even calling BJD the “B-team” of BJP on key issues.
Born in 1991, she is the first Odia Muslim woman MLA and represents a new generation of leaders in the state. She comes from a political family—her father, Mohammed Moquim, previously held the same seat but was disqualified ahead of the 2024 elections.
An engineering graduate from KIIT and management alumnus of IIM Bangalore, Firdous also has a background in business and real estate before entering politics. In her debut election, she defeated BJP’s Purna Chandra Mahapatra by over 8,000 votes.
Her alleged cross-voting has now sparked political controversy, raising questions about party discipline and internal rifts within the Congress in Odisha.