Odisha Rajya Sabha Polls: Parties Brace for March 16 Battle
The Election Commission of India has announced biennial elections for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha, scheduled for March 16, 2026.
The seats will fall vacant as the terms of BJD’s Niranjan Bishi and Munna Khan, along with BJP’s Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mohanta, end on April 2.
Nominations close on March 5, scrutiny will take place on March 6, and withdrawals are allowed until March 9. Polling will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on March 16, with counting at 5 pm. The process concludes by March 20.
In the Odisha Assembly, the BJP commands 79 MLAs and support from three Independents, totalling 82 votes. BJD holds 48 MLAs after recent suspensions, while Congress has 14 and CPI(M) has one.
Under the single transferable vote system, each candidate requires around 30–32 first-preference votes to secure a seat.
Analysts expect the BJP to win two seats and the BJD one, leaving the fourth seat in contention.
Congress, despite lacking numbers, has announced plans to field a candidate, sparking speculation of possible tactical alliances with the BJD to block the BJP’s third seat.
This election is part of a larger biennial exercise to fill 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
