Bhubaneswar, June 1: The Odisha Legislative Assembly Secretariat on Saturday issued the formal notification for the Rajya Sabha by-election to fill the vacancy created following the resignation of former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Debashish Samantaray.

According to the notification, the election process will commence with the filing of nominations from June 1. Candidates can submit their nomination papers until June 8. The scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on June 9, while candidates will have the option to withdraw their nominations until June 11.

Polling for the lone Rajya Sabha seat will be held on June 18 between designated hours, and the counting of votes will take place on the same day immediately after the conclusion of polling.

The Assembly Secretariat has appointed Secretary Satyabrata Rout as the Returning Officer for the by-election, while Joint Secretary Bidyadhar Majhi will serve as the Assistant Returning Officer to oversee the electoral process.

The vacancy arose after Debashish Samantaray resigned from the Rajya Sabha on May 25 and subsequently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on May 26. His move has sparked intense political speculation, with reports suggesting that the BJP may field him as its candidate for the same seat. If elected, Samantaray would return to the Upper House within weeks of his resignation.

The Odisha seat is among 25 Rajya Sabha vacancies across 11 states for which by-elections are scheduled to be held on June 18.

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