Bhubaneswar: Former MP Sujeet Kumar today filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha from Odisha for the upcoming bypoll scheduled on December 20. 

Kumar filed his nomination papers in presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and BJP Odisha President Manmohan Samal at Odisha Legislative Assembly.

Earlier in the day, the BJP had approved Sujeet Kumar's name as its Rajya Sabha candidate for the bypoll . 

In 2020, Kumar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket. He resigned from the post as the BJD MP on September 6 following which the party expelled him same day for 'anti-party activities'. His term was to conclude on April 2, 2026.

Soon after his resignation from Rajya Sabha membership and termination from the BJD, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party's national headquarters in Delhi in the presence of the party's Odisha in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar, BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhartruhari Mahtab, and former BJP Odisha in-charge Arun Singh. 

The bypoll to the Rajya Sabha seat, which is lying vacant after Sujeet Kumar's resignation, from Odisha is scheduled to be held on December 20 as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) notification. 

The voting will be held between 9 am and 4 pm on the scheduled date and the counting will be done at 5 pm on the very day.