Bhubaneswar: The bypoll to a vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha will be held on December 20 as the Election Commission of India (ECI) today issued a notification in this regard.

The seat fell vacant after Sujeet Kumar resigned from the post on September 6. His term was to conclude on April 2, 2026.

The voting will be held between 9 AM and 4 PM on the scheduled day while the counting of votes will be done on the very day at 5 PM.

As per the notification, here are the key dates of the bypoll.

  • Last date of making nominations: 10th December, 2024 (Tuesday)
  • Scrutiny of nominations: 11th December, 2024 (Wednesday)
  • Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: 13th December, 2024 (Friday)
  • Date of Poll: 20th December, 2024 (Friday)
  • Hours of Poll: 09:00 am - 04:00 pm
  • Counting of Votes: 20th December, 2024 (Friday) at 05:00 pm

Notably, Kumar tendered his resignation from the Upper House of Parliament, following which the BJD expelled him from the party citing it as an anti-party activity.

Later, Kumar joined the BJP.