Nomination process begins for RS bypoll in Odisha

The process of filing nominations for the December 20 bypoll to fill the lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat in Odisha began on Tuesday.

The Election Commission recently announced the schedule for bypolls to fill six vacant Rajya Sabha seats. Three of these seats are from Andhra Pradesh, and one each is in Odisha, West Bengal, and Haryana.

According to the notification, the last date for filing nomination papers is December 10. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on December 11, and the final date for withdrawal of candidatures is December 13. The by-election will be held between 9 am and 4 pm on December 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for 5 pm on the same day, an official said.

The seat became vacant after BJD MP Sujeet Kumar resigned on September 6, following his expulsion from the party over "anti-party" activities.

Kumar, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha on April 3, 2020, had a tenure that was supposed to last until April 2, 2026. He has since joined the BJP.

Once a close associate of BJD president Naveen Patnaik, Kumar, from Kalahandi district, became the second BJD MP to resign from Rajya Sabha after Mamata Mohanta, a leader from the Kudumi community.

Mohanta later joined the BJP and became a Rajya Sabha member as a saffron party nominee.

Odisha has 10 Rajya Sabha seats, of which seven are held by BJD MPs, two by BJP MPs, and one is currently vacant, which is expected to go in favor of the saffron party, given its strength of 78 MLAs in the 147-member Assembly.