ECI Announces Bypoll To Vacant Rajya Sabha Seats In Odisha & 3 Other States On Dec 20

Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced byelections to six Rajya Sabha, including one from Odisha, on December 20.

According to ECI, the notification for the bypoll will be issued on December 3. The last date for filing of nomination papers will be December 10. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on December 11. The last date for withdrawal of candidature will be December 13. The bypoll will be conducted between 9 am and 4 pm on December 30. Counting of votes will be done at 5 pm the same day.

The seat in Odisha fell vacant after Sujeet Kumar resigned from the Upper House of Parliament and joined the BJP on September 6, 2024, shortly after being expelled by BJD for “anti-party” activities.

He was elected to Rajya Sabha on April 3, 2020, and his term would have ended on April 2, 2026.  A native of Kalahandi district, Sujeet was once perceived to be very close to BJD president Naveen Patnaik’s close aide VK Pandian. He was the second BJD MP to have resigned from the Rajya Sabha, after Kudumi community leader Mamata Mohanta, who was later was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha as a BJP nominee. These resignations diminished BJD’s strength in the upper house to seven members, while the party currently has no representation in the Lok Sabha.

This vacant seat will also go to BJP given its numerical strength of 78 MLAs in 147-member Vidhan Sabha in Odisha.