June 18 By-Poll to Fill Odisha Rajya Sabha Seat

Following the resignation of Debasish Samantaray, the Election Commission has fixed June 18 as the date for a by-election to Odisha’s Rajya Sabha seat. Samantaray stepped down from the Biju Janata Dal and the Rajya Sabha on Monday, citing repeated neglect by party leadership. The commission’s schedule outlines that the formal notification will be published on June 1. Nominations must be filed by June 8, with scrutiny set for June 9 and withdrawals allowed until June 11. Voting will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 18, and results will be declared the same evening. The process is required to finish before June 20. Samantaray had been elected to the upper house only last year, with his term originally ending in 2030. His departure has left the regional party with just five members in the Rajya Sabha. Hours after quitting the BJD, he joined the BJP, adding a new layer of political complexity to the upcoming by-poll. Observers note that this contest could test the shifting allegiances in Odisha’s political landscape.