Official Notification Issued for Rajya Sabha Elections in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: On Thursday, the official notification for the upcoming elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha was released.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Prashant Nanda, and Amar Patnaik are set to retire as members of the upper house from Odisha in April.

As per the notification, the polling is scheduled for February 27, taking place between 9 am and 4 pm. The vote counting will follow at 5 pm on the same day. The last date for the nomination filing is February 15, and the withdrawal deadline is February 20.

The Rajya Sabha polls in the run-up to the concurrent elections in the state have gained prominence amid allegations of an implicit understanding between the BJD and BJP. The regional party had secured the victory of the former bureaucrat, Vaishnav, nominated by BJP for the Rajya Sabha bypolls in 2019, with BJD’s support, as the saffron party, with only 23 MLAs, lacked the required numbers.

A senior BJD leader, however, firmly stated that there will be no understanding with the BJP over Rajya Sabha seats this time. The party, with 114 members, possesses adequate numbers to secure all three seats.

It’s noteworthy that the term of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, is also concluding this April. The BJP is anticipated to nominate both Dharmendra and Vaishnaw from Lok Sabha seats in Odisha to enhance its prospects in the upcoming general elections.