Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a Rajya Sabha by-election in Odisha to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray on May 25.
According to the election schedule issued by the Commission, the process for electing a new member to the Upper House has commenced, with all proceedings to be completed by June 20, 2026.
The ECI has appointed Satyabrata Raut, Secretary of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, as the Returning Officer for the by-election. Vidyadhar Majhi, Joint Secretary of the Assembly, has been designated as the Assistant Returning Officer.
Candidates can file their nomination papers between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on working days, excluding government holidays. The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as June 8, 2026.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9 at 11:30 a.m. in the Conference Hall on the ground floor of the Odisha Legislative Assembly building. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until 3 p.m. on June 11.
If the election becomes necessary due to a contest, polling will be conducted on June 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Committee Room No. 54 of the Odisha Legislative Assembly building. The counting of votes will be carried out on the same day, and the result will be declared thereafter.
According to the ECI, all election procedures will conclude by June 20.
The by-election is being held to fill the seat vacated by Samantaray after he resigned from the Rajya Sabha. The entire electoral process will be conducted under the direct supervision of the Election Commission of India.
