Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Debashish Samantaray was on Thursday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha after no other candidate remained in the fray for the by-election to the Upper House seat.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had scheduled the Rajya Sabha bypoll for June 18, 2026. However, Samantaray's election was confirmed after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended today, with no rival candidates contesting the seat.

The by-election was necessitated following Samantaray's resignation from the Rajya Sabha after he quit the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Soon after leaving the regional party, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which nominated him for the vacant Upper House seat.

Samantaray had originally been elected to the Rajya Sabha in February 2024 as a BJD nominee. His tenure was scheduled to continue until April 2030. However, his resignation from the House created a vacancy, prompting the by-election for the remainder of the term.

With no opposition candidate entering the contest, Samantaray secured re-election to the Rajya Sabha unopposed, retaining the seat for the remaining tenure ending in April 2030.