Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for the bypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha that fell vacant following the resignation of Debashish Samantaray.

According to a notification issued by the ECI, polling for the by-election will be held on June 18, 2026, from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will take place on the same day at 5 pm.

As per the schedule, the notification for the election will be issued on June 1, while the last date for filing nominations is June 8. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on June 9, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 11.

The Rajya Sabha seat became vacant after Samantaray resigned from the Upper House following his exit from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Samantaray had been elected to the Rajya Sabha in February 2024 as a BJD nominee. His tenure was scheduled to continue till April 2030. However, his resignation has necessitated the bypoll for the remainder of the term.