Dilip Ray, BJP candidates file nominations for Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Senior politician Dilip Ray and nominees of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar — filed their nomination papers on Thursday for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Odisha.

The nominations were filed at the State Legislative Assembly in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and senior BJP leaders, including Jayanarayan Mishra.

Dilip Ray enters fray as Independent candidate with BJP backing

Dilip Ray filed his nomination as an Independent candidate backed by the BJP to contest against Dr. Datteswar Hota, the candidate fielded by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), for the crucial fourth Rajya Sabha seat. The elections are scheduled to be held on March 16.

Before filing his nomination, Ray paid tribute to his mentor and legendary leader Biju Patnaik on the occasion of the statesman’s birth anniversary.

Expressing confidence, Ray said he expects to win the contest despite not having the required magic number of 30 first-preference votes in his favour. Notably, he had earlier secured a Rajya Sabha seat in 2002 through cross-voting.

BJP aims to win three of four seats

The BJP’s open support for Ray is widely seen as an attempt by the saffron camp to secure three out of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.

However, neither the BJP nor the BJD currently has the numbers required to independently win the fourth seat. Based on the present strength in the Assembly, the ruling BJP is expected to win two seats comfortably, while the BJD is likely to secure one seat.

Rajya Sabha arithmetic in Odisha

According to the Rajya Sabha electoral formula, a candidate requires at least 30 first-preference votes to win a seat from Odisha.

With the backing of 82 MLAs, the BJP is comfortably placed to win two seats and will still have 22 surplus votes. However, the party falls eight votes short of the number required to secure a third seat.

As a result, the contest for the fourth seat is expected to be a keen political battle between Ray and BJD’s “common candidate” Dr. Hota.

Manmohan Samal set for Rajya Sabha entry after 22 years

The BJP’s first candidate and the party’s Odisha president Manmohan Samal is set to enter the Upper House of Parliament after a gap of 22 years.

A former state minister, Samal had lost the 2024 Assembly elections but was re-elected unopposed in July 2025 as the BJP’s state president for a fourth term.

His leadership is widely credited for the BJP’s historic victory in the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections, which ended the 24-year rule of the BJD, as well as the party’s success in the Nuapada by-polls last year.

Sujeet Kumar seeks another term

The other BJP nominee, Sujeet Kumar, is currently a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, with his tenure set to end in April.

Kumar joined the BJP in September 2024 after resigning from the BJD and is now seeking another term in the Upper House with the party’s backing.