In Bhubaneswar, on March 3, the BJP announced that Manmohan Samal, its Odisha unit president, and Sujeet Kumar, an MP, would be its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections on March 16. They also announced their support for Dilip Ray, a former Union minister and party leader, who will contest as an independent candidate.
Ray stated that he was confident of winning, despite not having the required 30 first preference votes.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the state BJP president expressed confidence in Ray's victory, highlighting his experience as a minister under three Prime Ministers.
The BJP's open support for Ray aims to secure three of the four seats. Neither the BJP nor the BJD has the required number to win the fourth seat. The ruling and opposition parties are expected to win comfortably with two and one seats, respectively.
According to Rajya Sabha rules, a candidate needs at least 30 first preference votes to win a seat. With the support of 82 MLAs, the BJP is well-positioned to win two seats, with 22 surplus votes. However, the party needs eight more votes to secure its third candidate's victory. The contest for the fourth seat is likely between Ray and Dr. Datteswar Hota, a candidate fielded by the BJD.
Manmohan Samal, the BJP's state president and a former state minister, is set to return to the Rajya Sabha after 22 years. He was also a state minister who lost the 2024 assembly elections. He was re-elected unopposed as the party's state president in July 2025.
Samal's leadership is credited with the BJP's success in the 2024 state elections, ending the BJD's 24-year rule, and the subsequent Nuapada by-polls last year.
Sujeet Kumar, the sitting Rajya Sabha MP, will complete his tenure in April. He joined the BJP in September 2024 after resigning from the BJD.
BJD president Naveen Patnaik had previously nominated Santrupt Misra and Datteswar Hota and appealed to all parties to support Hota for his philanthropic activities. The Congress, which does not have the required number to win, has supported Hota's candidature for the fourth seat.
The BJP, also eyeing the fourth seat, has decided to back Dilip Ray.
Chief Minister Majhi said, "Our party will support Ray, who has extensive experience in the Odisha Assembly as a minister, a Union minister, and a two-time Rajya Sabha MP. I am confident that Ray will win with flying colors."
Samal stated that the party would only support Ray if they were confident of his victory.
"I decided to contest because I am confident of winning. I have support from all parties," Ray told reporters, revealing that he expects support from the BJP's 22 MLAs.
When asked how he would secure eight more votes, Ray said, "Wait and see, you will know everything."
State Congress president Bhakta Charan Das had previously alleged that the BJP might resort to horse trading to win the fourth seat.
On Tuesday, he said, "All our 14 party MLAs and one member of the CPI(M) will vote for Hota. He is a common candidate fielded by the BJD and supported by the Congress."
In the 2002 Rajya Sabha polls, Ray, as an independent candidate, defeated the Congress through cross-voting by BJD and BJP MLAs. He was elected to the Upper House of Parliament in 1996 as a Janata Dal nominee. Ray has also been a member of the council of ministers under PMs Atal Bihari Vajpayee, HD Deve Gowda, and IK Gujral.
Ray, a hotelier and close aide of Biju Patnaik, Naveen Patnaik's father, joined the BJP in 2009 and won the Rourkela assembly seat in 2014. He was convicted by a Special CBI court in 2020 in a coal block allocation case of 1999. However, the Delhi High Court stayed his conviction in April 2024.
After electing one member, the BJD will be left with 18 surplus votes. The party expects that with the support of 14 MLAs of Congress and one member of CPI(M), its "common" candidate could easily win.
According to the ECI notification, the last date for filing nominations is March 5, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 6. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 9.
Polling will be conducted on March 16 from 9 am to 4 pm, and counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day.