Odisha Rajya Sabha seat to go for bypoll on December 20

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26: The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Tuesday that byelections will be held for six Rajya Sabha seats, including one from Odisha, on December 20.

The ECI confirmed that the notification for the bypoll will be issued on December 3. Nomination papers can be filed until December 10, with scrutiny scheduled for December 11. Candidates will have until December 13 to withdraw their nominations, and voting will take place on December 30 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., followed by vote counting at 5 p.m. the same day.

The Odisha Rajya Sabha seat became vacant after Sujeet Kumar resigned from the Upper House and joined the BJP on September 6, 2024. Kumar had been expelled from the BJD for alleged "anti-party" activities. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2020, and his term would have ended in April 2026.

As a native of Kalahandi, Sujeet was once close to BJD president Naveen Patnaik’s associate, VK Pandian. His resignation, along with that of another BJD member, Mamata Mohanta, reduced the BJD's strength in the Rajya Sabha to just seven seats. Given the BJP’s strength in the Odisha Assembly, the vacant seat is expected to be filled by the BJP.