Bhubaneswar: The process for elections to three vacant seats of Rajya Sabha began in Odisha on Monday with the Odisha Legislative Assembly issuing a notification to this effect. It followed a notification by the Election Commission.
According to the notification, filing of nomination papers will begin from the date of notification (March 5) and continue till March 12.
The nomination papers may be delivered by a candidate or any of his proposers to Returning Officer Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, who is also the Director, Employment-cum-Chief Executive Officer, Odisha Skill Development Authority, Bhubaneswar, or to Assistant Returning Officer, Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, who is also Deputy Secretary, Assembly Secretariat in Room No 54 (first floor) of the Assembly building between 11 am and 3 pm on any day (other than a public holiday) not later than March 12, it said.
Candidates can obtain the nomination forms from Room No 54 of the Assembly building between 11 am and 3 pm.
The nomination papers will be taken up for scrutiny at 11:30 am on March 13 while the notice of withdrawal of candidature may be delivered either by a candidate or by any of his proposers or by his election agent who has been authorized in writing by the candidate before 3 pm on March 15.
In the event of the election being contested, election will be held on March 23 between 9 AM and 4 PM in the Committee Room No-54 of the Assembly Secretariat Buildings, Bhubaneswar, the notification added.
In Odisha, the biennial election to three Rajya Sabha seats will be held as the terms of AV Swamy, AU Singhdeo and Dilip Tirkey will expire on April 3.
Besides, the tenure of BJP leader and Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was elected to Rajya Sabha from Bihar, will end on April 2.
