Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Debashish Samantaray has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha. He filed his nomination papers for the by-election on June 5 at the State Assembly premises. With no other candidates in the fray, Samantaray secured the seat as the sole contender.
The election schedule dictated that nominations closed on June 8, with the withdrawal deadline set for June 11. In the absence of any competing candidates after the withdrawal date, Samantaray’s unopposed election to the Rajya Sabha was confirmed. The voting, if required, and vote counting are scheduled for June 18.
Following his election, Samantaray expressed gratitude to BJP national president Nitin Navin, PM Modi, BJP state president Manmohan Samal, and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. He affirmed his dedication to the party and pledged to enhance its strength while fulfilling the responsibilities entrusted to him.
The Rajya Sabha seat had remained vacant since Samantaray’s resignation from the Upper House on May 25. Subsequently, he also resigned from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on the same day, citing continuous neglect within the party. His departure reduced the BJD’s representation in the Upper House to five members.
Samantaray, a former BJD heavyweight, joined the BJP on May 26. He has a political history that includes being elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly multiple times from different constituencies between 2000 and 2019.
