Bhubaneswar: Debashish Samantaray has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha on a BJP ticket.
The announcement was made Thursday. As the sole nominee, no voting was required for the by-election.Samantaray first entered the Rajya Sabha in April 2024 on a BJD ticket, with his term running until April 2030.
He resigned from both the party and his seat on May 25, 2026, citing differences, and joined the BJP the next day. The party later fielded him for the vacant seat. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated Samantaray on his election.
In a post on X, Majhi wrote, “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Debashis Samantray, our party’s candidate, on being elected as a Rajya Sabha MP.”
“I firmly believe that with your long-standing political experience and dedication to public service, you will devote yourself to serving the state and its people as a charioteer for a prosperous Odisha,” he added.
The Chief Minister further said, “May this journey of yours for Odisha’s development be crowned with success. May Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath bless you with constant success and strength.”