Efforts are intensifying for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha as the opposition-backed common candidate, Dr. Datteshwar Hota, met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Saturday. Simultaneously, BJP-supported Independent candidate Dilip Ray voiced his optimism regarding a victory fuelled by “conscience votes.”
Accompanied by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Bhakta Charan Das, Hota requested the backing of the 14 Congress MLAs in the state.
Taking to X, Das wrote, “Met Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) in Delhi today along with INC-BJD’s common candidate Dr Datteshwar Hota and sought his guidance.”
Congress Odisha in-charge Ajay Lalu and Rachnatmak Congress chairman Sandeep Dikshit were also present at the meeting, Das said.
Met Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) in Delhi today along with INC-BJD’s common candidate Dr Datteshwar Hota and sought his guidance.@INCOdisha incharge Shri @AjayLalluINC and Rachnatmak Congress Chairman Shri @_SandeepDikshit also remained present. pic.twitter.com/z7qfaDlh8I
— Bhakta Charan Das (@BhaktaCharanDas) March 7, 2026
Dr. Hota, a prominent urologist, was named as the joint candidate by Naveen Patnaik and has successfully consolidated support from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Congress, and the CPI(M).
He faces a challenge from Dilip Ray, a seasoned hotelier and former Union minister.
Ray, a political veteran from the Biju Patnaik era, notably won a Rajya Sabha seat as an Independent in 2002 despite significant opposition from Naveen Patnaik.
Expressing confidence for the March 16 polls, Ray said that his support base transcends party lines. “I have well-wishers in all parties, and they will vote for me as per conscience,” he stated.
However, senior BJD leader and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo dismissed Ray’s optimism, noting that updated protocols in Rajya Elections have effectively curbed the potential for cross-voting.
“In 2002, MLAs voted through secret ballot. That provision no longer exists. Now it is an open ballot system where MLAs have to show their vote to the party agent before casting it,” Sahoo explained.
The Rajya Sabha election in Odisha follows the upcoming end of the terms for four current MPs—Niranjan Bishi, Munna Khan, Sujeet Kumar, and Mamata Mohanta—on April 2.
According to the Rajya Sabha arithmetic in Odisha, a candidate must secure a minimum of 30 first-preference votes to claim a seat.
Currently, the BJP holds 79 seats in the 147-member Assembly and has the backing of three Independents. This total of 82 leaves them eight votes short of the 90 required to secure three seats.
The BJD holds 48 seats following the recent suspension of two members. After securing one seat, the party will have 18 surplus votes, leaving them 12 short of the 30 needed for a second seat.
The Congress holds 14 seats, while the CPI(M) has one.
Because neither the BJP nor the BJD possesses the numbers to claim the fourth seat independently, Patnaik moved to nominate Hota as a consensus candidate to bridge the gap.
