Last Day for Filing Nominations for Four Rajya Sabha Seats in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The last date for filing nominations for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha is Thursday, with five candidates set to enter the fray.

According to sources, Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Santupt Misra and Datteswar Hota from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Dilip Ray as an independent candidate are expected to file their nomination papers.

Political calculations indicate that the BJP is likely to secure two of the four seats, while the BJD is expected to win one. The fourth seat is expected to witness a contest, with the Congress extending support to Dr Datteswar Hota as a common candidate in an effort to block the BJP from winning a possible third seat.

Notably, although the official notification for the Rajya Sabha elections was issued on February 26, no nominations had been filed until now.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on March 6, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 9. Polling for the seats is scheduled to take place on March 16, and the results will be declared the same day.