BJD leader Sasmit Patra collects six sets of nomination forms as Rajya Sabha poll process begins in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Amid speculation over the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, party leader and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra on Thursday collected the necessary nomination forms.

As the election process commenced, Patra obtained six sets of nomination papers from the conference hall of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued a notification for the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, with polling scheduled for March 16, 2026.

Rajya Sabha poll dates

According to the notification, the last date for filing nominations is March 5, while scrutiny will be conducted on March 6. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 9.

Polling will be held on March 16 from 9 am to 4 pm, and the counting of votes will begin at 5 pm the same day. The Commission has stated that the entire election process will be completed by March 20.

Earlier, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Bhakta Charan Das had sought an appointment with BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik to explore the possibility of an understanding for the Rajya Sabha elections. However, Patnaik did not give an affirmative response to the request.

The elections have been necessitated as four Rajya Sabha members from Odisha are set to retire on April 2, creating vacancies in the Upper House of Parliament. The retiring members include Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan of the BJD, and Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta of the BJP.

Number game

Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assembly through proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote system. With four seats falling vacant, political parties are expected to announce their candidates soon.

In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the BJD holds 50 seats, Congress has 14, while the BJP has 79 seats, a number that has risen to 82 with the support of Independents. The CPI(M) holds one seat in the House.