Desk (3 March 2026): The suspense over who will represent the ruling party in the Rajya Sabha from Odisha has largely come to an end as the Bharatiya Janata Party has announced its candidates for two of the seats, while deliberations continue for a possible third seat.
According to party sources, the BJP has fielded Sujit Kumar and Manmohan Samal as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha. Political observers say the party is expected to win the two seats comfortably due to its strength in the state assembly.
Discussions are still underway within the party regarding the third seat, which many believe could also go in BJP’s favour. As a result, the number of aspirants within the party has increased.
Sujit Kumar and Mamta Mohanta were earlier Rajya Sabha members from the Biju Janata Dal. Both had resigned from the BJD and were later elected to the Upper House as BJP candidates. Their current tenure is now nearing completion.
Meanwhile, the BJD has already announced its nominees for the Rajya Sabha elections. Party president Naveen Patnaik recently declared Santrupt Mishra as the party’s official candidate and Datteshwar Hota as a common candidate.
The announcement followed a series of internal meetings at Naveen Niwas, the residence of Naveen Patnaik, where several BJD MLAs had gathered ahead of the Rajya Sabha election. Although around 30 to 35 legislators reached the venue, many reportedly could not meet the party chief directly and later returned after brief discussions.
With the Rajya Sabha elections approaching, political activity in Odisha has intensified, and attention now remains focused on the outcome of the third seat, which could further shape the balance of power in the Upper House.
