The process for the by-election to fill a vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha started on Monday, following an official notification issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Briefing the media at a press conference, Odisha Assembly Secretary Satyabrata Raut stated that the Election Commission has issued the notification for the by-poll process to fill the vacancy arising from the recent resignation of former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray. As per the announced itinerary, the window for filing nomination papers begin on Monday, June 1.
The last day for candidates to submit their nomination papers is set for June 8, with the scrutiny of nominations scheduled for June 9. Candidates will have until June 11 to withdraw their names from the contest.
Officials noted that if multiple candidates remain in the fray after the withdrawal deadline, polling will take place on June 18. If voting occurs, the counting of votes will be executed on the same evening to conclude the electoral process immediately.
Raut has been appointed as the Returning Officer for the by-poll, supported by an Assembly Secretariat official who will act as the Assistant Returning Officer to supervise the proceedings. The election became vital due to the unexpected vacancy in Odisha’s representation in the Upper House, prompting the Election Commission to execute the standard legislative schedule.
Notably, Samantaray, who secured his Rajya Sabha seat in April 2024, tendered his resignation to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan on May 25. He would have otherwise completed his tenure, which was scheduled to end in April 2030.
Delivering a significant blow to the opposition BJD, Samantaray, who was a founding member of the regional party, simultaneously resigned from its primary membership on May 25. In his resignation letter to party supremo Naveen Patnaik, he stated that he was being consistently sidelined within the organization.
His exit from the Rajya Sabha has reduced the BJD’s strength in the Upper House of Parliament to just five members. Merely a day after cutting ties with his former party, Samantaray officially joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during an induction event held at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi on May 26.
The veteran politician previously served three terms in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, representing the Tirtol and Barabati-Cuttack constituencies between 2000–2004, 2009–2014, and 2014–2019.
