Bhubaneswar, 27 May (H.S.) : The Election Commission of India (Election Commission of India) has announced a bye-election to fill a casual vacancy in the Rajya Sabha from Odisha following the resignation of sitting member Debashish Samantaray on May 25, whose term was originally scheduled to continue until April 3, 2030.
According to the notification, the election process will begin with the issuance of the official notification on June 1, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is June 8, followed by scrutiny of nominations on June 9. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until June 11.
Polling will be held on June 18, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Counting of votes will take place the same day at 5:00 PM, and the entire electoral process is expected to conclude by June 20, 2026.
The Election Commission has also directed that only the integrated violet-coloured sketch pen provided by the Returning Officer shall be used for marking preferences on the ballot paper, and no other writing instrument will be permitted. The Commission stated that adequate monitoring measures will be in place to ensure a free, fair, and transparent conduct of the bye-election.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
