Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly Wednesday issued a notification for election to one Rajya Sabha seat, marking the beginning of the nomination filing process.
The seat fell vacant after Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Mohanta resigned from the seat and also quit the BJD July 31, two years before completion of her tenure. She was elected to the Upper House April 3, 2020.
It will go to polls along with 11 other vacant seats from nine states September 3.
As per the notification, the last date for filing of nomination is August 21 and the scrutiny will be held August 22. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is August 27.
Out of Odisha’s 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, the BJD had nine seats while one MP was from the BJP. However, after Mohanta’s resignation, the BJD’s strength came down to eight.
The vacant seat is likely to be bagged by the ruling BJP, which has 78 MLAs in the 147-member House. The opposition BJD has 51 MLAs followed by 14 of the Congress, one of CPI(M) and three independent lawmakers.
PTI
