Bhubaneswar, Mar 6: The scrutiny of nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha was completed on Friday, with the nomination papers of five candidates accepted by the authorities. The verification process, conducted by the election officials, confirmed that all submitted documents were in order, paving the way for the candidates to formally enter the electoral contest.

According to reports, the nominations of Santrupt Misra, Dr. Datteswar Hota, Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar, and Dilip Ray were found valid during the scrutiny process. With this step completed, the political battle for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha has begun to take clearer shape.

Among the candidates, Santrupt Misra and Dr. Datteswar Hota are contesting as nominees of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded its state president Manmohan Samal along with sitting Rajya Sabha member Sujeet Kumar. In addition, the BJP has extended its support to senior leader Dilip Ray, who is contesting the election as an independent candidate.

Political observers believe the BJP’s backing of Dilip Ray is a strategic move aimed at strengthening its chances of securing three out of the four Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

As per the Rajya Sabha electoral formula, a candidate requires at least 30 first-preference votes to win a seat. With the support of 82 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly, the BJP is comfortably placed to secure two seats and still holds around 22 surplus votes, which could play a key role in the final outcome of the election.

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