Bhubaneswar: BJP candidate Debashish Samantaray on Friday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in Odisha.
He submitted three sets of nomination papers before the Returning Officer at the Odisha Legislative Assembly, amid strong support from top state party leaders, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, and several ministers including Suresh Pujari, Dr Mukesh Mahaling, and Krushna Chandra Patra.
Prior to the filing, Samantaray held discussions with senior BJP leaders at the party’s State office. He, in an interaction with media later, said that more leaders from BJD are likely to join the BJP in the coming days, asserting that the party offers greater opportunities for public service.
The by-election became necessary after Samantaray resigned from the Rajya Sabha following his departure from the BJD. He joined the BJP on May 26 in New Delhi, in the presence of senior leaders including BJP National president Nitin Nabin, CM Majhi, and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Samantaray, who was originally elected to the Upper House as a BJD nominee in February 2024 with a term extending until April 2030, had served as a Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2009 to 2019.
His move is seen as part of a broader trend of defections from the BJD to the BJP in Odisha, strengthening the saffron party’s position ahead of future polls. With the BJP holding a majority in the State assembly, Samantaray’s victory in the bypoll appears all but assured. Neither the BJD nor Congress is expected to field a strong challenge. Samantaray’s successful election would increase the BJP’s Rajya Sabha representation from Odisha to four seats, further consolidating its influence in the state.
The Election Commission of India has set the Rajya Sabha by-election for June 18. Voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting scheduled for 5 pm on the same day.
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