The notification forelections to the four Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha was issued on Friday by the Assembly secretariat, official sources said.With the notification, the nomination filing process has started and will continue till March 13, said Odisha Legislative Assembly secretary Dasarathi Satpathy, who has been appointed as the returning officer for the ensuing Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to be held on March 26.The four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha will fall vacant after the tenure of Ranjib Biswal (Congress), Anubhav Mohanty, Narendra Swain and Sarojini Hembram (all BJD) comes to an end on April 2. However, Anubhav Mohanty has been elected to Lok Sabha from Kendrapara in the 2019 General Elections.Satpathy said the candidates can file nomination papers at the Assembly conference Hall from 11 am to 3 pm on all working days till March 13. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done at 11.30 am on March 16 and withdrawal of candidature is allowed by 3 pm on March 18.Satpathy said, if required polling will be held between 9 am and 4 pm at the Assembly Committee room no-14 on March 26 and counting of votes to be done on the same day.While Satpathy is the returning officer for the RS elections, Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer S K Lohani is appointed as the observer.While ruling BJD which has 113 MLAs in the 147 member Odisha Assembly, is tight-lipped over the Rajya Sabha polls, opposition BJP has announced to field a candidate despite the saffron party lacking required support on its own strength of 23 MLAs.Congress has only nine members and therefore, not eligible to field any candidate.Meanwhile, CPI(M) which has the lone member in the Assembly, has announced not to participate in the Rajya Sabha elections. The Assembly has only one Independent MLA.Having adequate numbers to ensure victory of three of the four vacant RS seats, the ruling BJD was yet to announce name of its candidates.The fourth seat will be crucial as both the BJD and the BJP will require the support of six more MLAs.A candidate in Odisha required 29 first preference vote to win the Rajya Sabha polls while BJP has only 23 members and BJD too shot of six MLAs to ensure the victory of its candidate in the fourth vacancy.
