Bhubaneswar: Voting for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha is all set to commence today, with five candidates in the fray for the four seats in the Upper House of Parliament.
The BJP has fielded Sujeet Kumar and Manmohan Samal, while Dilip Ray is running as an independent with BJP support. The BJD has nominated Santrupt Misra, and the opposition alliance (BJD, Congress, and CPI(M)) has backed Dr Datteswar Hota, as their common candidate.
Polling will take place from 9 am to 4 pm at the Odisha Assembly’s Room 54, followed by counting of votes around 5 pm. The results are likely to be announced soon after.
It is pertinent to mention that the four seats are being vacated by Sujeet Kumar, Mamata Mohanta, Mujibulla Khan (Muna), and Niranjan Bishi, whose terms expire on April 2.
A candidate needs 30 first-preference votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The BJP has 79 MLAs and support from 3 independents, giving it a total of 82 votes. The BJD has 48 MLAs, Congress has 14, and CPI(M) has 1.
Meanwhile, tight security is in place at the Odisha Assembly for the Rajya Sabha election. MLAs must carry their identity cards to enter Room 54, where voting will take place. All parties have appointed authorized agents.
