Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has issued a whip to its MLAs.

According to the whip issued by Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, all party legislators have been instructed not to leave Bhubaneswar from March 13 to March 16.

The directive has been issued to ensure the presence of all BJD MLAs during the Rajya Sabha election process.
Political observers believe the whip has been issued to prevent any possible cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha polls.

The BJD has fielded Santrupt Mishra and Dr Datteswar Hota as its candidates, while the ruling BJP has nominated Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar. The BJP has also extended support to senior leader Dilip Ray, who is contesting as an Independent candidate.

The Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to be held on March 16, 2026.

According to the notification issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the last date for filing nominations was March 5. Scrutiny of nomination papers was held on March 6, following which the nominations of five candidates were found to be valid.

Polling will take place on March 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while counting of votes will begin at 5 p.m. on the same day. The Commission has stated the entire election process will conclude by March 20.

In the 147-member Odisha Assembly, the BJP holds 79 seats, a number that has risen to 82 with the support of Independent MLAs. The BJD has 48 members (excluding two suspended legislators), while the Congress holds 14 seats. The CPI(M) has one seat in the House.