Bhubaneswar, March 5 -- With the deadline for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections ending on Thursday, the five candidates from Odisha are set to submit their papers later in the day.

Of the four vacant seats from Odisha, the first two are expected to see straightforward outcomes, while the third and fourth seats have drawn significant political attention.

For the first two seats, the BJP has fielded Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar. The BJD has nominated Santrupt Misra for the third seat. However, the fourth seat is poised for a contest.

The BJD has announced Datteswar Hota as its common candidate for the fourth seat, with the Congress extending support to him. Meanwhile, Dilip Ray will file his nomination as an Independent...