Election notification issued for Odisha's vacant Rajya Sabha seat

Bhubaneswar, Aug 14: The official notification for the upcoming election to fill one vacant Rajya Sabha seat in Odisha was issued on Wednesday, marking the start of the nomination process. The seat, along with 11 other vacant seats across nine states, will be contested on September 3.

Candidates must submit their nominations by August 21, with scrutiny scheduled for August 22. The final date for withdrawal of nominations is August 27. Currently, the BJP, which holds 87 seats in the Upper House, is anticipated to gain four additional seats at the expense of the Congress, RJD, and BJD.

The Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha became available after BJD member Mamata Mahanta resigned on July 31, two years before her term was set to end. Mahanta, elected to the Rajya Sabha on April 3, 2020, also left the BJD and joined the BJP on August 1.

Given the BJP's strength in the Odisha Assembly, the party is expected to secure this seat. Although several potential candidates are being considered, political analysts suggest that the BJP might re-nominate Mahanta, a prominent leader from the Kudumi community, to gain support from that group. Mahanta’s departure from both the Rajya Sabha and the BJD was attributed to her dissatisfaction with the Naveen Patnaik-led party.