Bhubaneswar: With Thursday marking the final day for nominations, a total of five candidates are expected to enter the fray for the four Rajya Sabha seats up for biennial election from Odisha.
The seats, falling vacant on April 2 following the completion of term of two BJP members — Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar and two from the BJD —Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan, have drawn significant political attention.
The BJP has fielded state unit president Manmohan Samal and sitting MP Sujeet Kumar. The BJD has nominated senior leader Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota, a renowned urologist and former principal of SCB Medical College, whom the party has positioned as a “common candidate” appealing for cross-party support due to his philanthropic work.
Former Union minister Dilip Ray
is also contesting as an independent, with backing from the BJP to bolster its push for a third seat.
Political arithmetic in the 147-member Odisha Assembly positions the ruling BJP, with around 82 MLAs, including 3 Independents, to comfortably secure at least two seats. The opposition BJD, with 48 MLAs, is poised to claim one. The fourth seat has emerged as the key battleground, where the BJP aims to extend its tally to three, while the BJD-Congress alliance- marking a rare collaboration—backs Hota to prevent a BJP sweep.
The outcome of the fourth seat could hinge on post-nomination alignments, cross-voting possibilities, or last-minute withdrawals, making this election a test of numerical strength and strategic manoeuvring in Odisha’s evolving political landscape.
Despite the ECI notification issued on February 26, no nominations were filed earlier, but activity intensified as the deadline approached. Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for March 6, with the last date for withdrawals on March 9. If a contest is required, voting will take place on March 16 from 9 am to 4 pm, with results declared the same day. The entire process is expected to conclude by March 20.