Bhubaneswar: The nomination papers of five candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha were accepted on Friday after the scrutiny process was completed.

The candidates whose nominations were found valid include Santrupt Misra, Dr. Datteswar Hota, Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar and Dilip Ray.

BJD and BJP field key candidates

Among the contestants, Santrupt Misra and Dr. Datteswar Hota are candidates of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded its state president Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha member Sujeet Kumar. The party has also extended open support to senior leader Dilip Ray, who is contesting as an independent candidate.

BJP eyes three of four Rajya Sabha seats

The BJP’s backing for Ray is being viewed as a strategic move by the party to attempt winning three out of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.

However, neither the BJP nor the BJD currently has enough numbers in the Assembly to independently secure the fourth seat.

Assembly numbers favour BJP for two seats

Based on the current strength in the Assembly, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to comfortably win two seats, while the Biju Janata Dal is likely to secure one.

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

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

Tight contest likely for fourth seat

As a result, the battle for the fourth seat is expected to be closely contested between Dilip Ray and the BJD’s common candidate Dr. Datteswar Hota.

The Rajya Sabha elections from Odisha are scheduled to be held on March 16.