Bhubaneswar, June 5 -- BJP candidate Debashish Samantaray filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha by-election on Friday. Senior party leaders, MLAs and Chief Minister Mohan Majhi extended support ahead of the June 18 poll.

Samantaray arrived at the State BJP office before proceeding in a large procession to submit his nomination papers. Before filing the nomination, he held discussions with the State BJP leadership.

Debashish Samantaray quit BJD on May 25, 2026, citing that he felt he was "systematically belittled" in the party. He later joined BJP on May 26, 2026 in Delhi in a grand event.

Several BJP MLAs were present at the State BJP headquarters during the nomination process. Chief Minister Mohan Majhi was also scheduled to...