Bhubaneswar: As expected in political circles, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Debashish Samantaray as its candidate for the June 18 Rajya Sabha by-election in Odisha.
The Central Election Committee of the BJP has granted its approval to the names for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections to be held in various states and the by-election in Odisha for 2026. The announcement was made in a press release issued by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh.
Samantaray, a former Rajya Sabha member, had joined the BJP on May 26, a day after resigning the BJD, stating that he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and vision for a developed India.
He joined the saffron outfit at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, Odisha BJP in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and BJP’s state unit president Manmohan Samal.
After quitting the BJD, Samantaray had also met Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and tendered his resignation as a Rajya Sabha member.
Following Samantaray’s resignation from Rajya Sabha, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that by-election to the seat from Odisha vacated by him would be held on June 18. The vacancy in the Council of States from Odisha was created following resignation of Samantaray on May 25, it said.
Notably, formal notification for the by-election was issued on June 1 and the last date of filing nomination is June 8. Scrutiny of nominations is slated to be taken up on June 9 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 11.
It may be recalled that Samantaray, while quitting the BJD, had attacked the regional party over internal functioning and alleged that efforts were being made to sideline senior leaders instead of strengthening the organisation.
A seasoned politician, Samantaray was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February 2024 as a BJD nominee. He had earlier represented the Barabati-Cuttack Assembly constituency twice, winning elections in 2009 and 2014.
