Finance
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has called a byelection to fill a casual vacancy in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) from Odisha.
The vacancy resulted from the resignation of sitting Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray on May 25. His term was planned to last until April 3, 2030.
The Election Commission of India has released a comprehensive timetable for the Rajya Sabha byelection from Odisha.
According to a notification published by India’s Election Commission, the procedure will commence on Monday, June 1, 2026. The deadline for filing nominations is June 8, 2026 (Monday), and nominations will be scrutinized on June 9, 2026 (Tuesday). Candidates can withdraw their nominations until June 11, 2026 (Thursday).Polling will take place on Thursday, June 18, 2026, between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The counting of votes will take place on the same day at 5:00 PM, and the entire election process is projected to be finished by Saturday, June 20, 2026.
The Commission has directed that only the integrated violet colour sketch pen provided by the Returning Officer be used to record preferences on the ballot paper. No other pens will be allowed. To ensure a free and fair bye-election, adequate mechanisms will be put in place to closely monitor the entire process.
