Bhubaneswar, 06 March (H.S.): The scrutiny of nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha was completed on Friday, with the nominations of five candidates being accepted by the returning officer.

According to official sources, the nomination papers of Santrupt Misra, Dr. Datteswar Hota, Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar and Dilip Ray were found valid during the scrutiny process conducted on Friday.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has fielded Santrupt Misra and Dr. Datteswar Hota as its candidates. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated its state president Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha member Sujeet Kumar for the polls.

In addition, the BJP has extended its support to senior leader Dilip Ray, who is contesting the election as an independent candidate. Political observers view this move as a strategic attempt by the BJP to secure three of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.

Under the Rajya Sabha electoral formula, a candidate requires at least 30 first-preference votes to secure a seat. With the support of 82 MLAs in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the BJP is expected to comfortably win two seats and holds 22 surplus votes, which could play a crucial role in the contest for the remaining seats.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda