The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha has intensified its preparations for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with a high-level strategy session at the state party office in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, March 13, 2026. The meeting focused on ensuring victory for the party’s three supported candidates amid tight calculations for the four vacant seats.
Following the discussions, 77 BJP ministers and MLAs travelled in three buses to Paradip, where they will stay until the voting day. The group, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi (who is expected to join on Sunday), will undergo intensive training on voting procedures and receive guidance from the central observer, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. BJP state president and candidate Manmohan Samal, along with candidate Sujeet Kumar, are also stationed in Paradip to coordinate efforts.
The strategy aligns with instructions from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who emphasised group-based voting tactics during his recent visit to the state. BJP aims to secure wins for its official candidates—state unit president Manmohan Samal and sitting MP Sujeet Kumar—while extending full support to Independent candidate Dilip Ray for the fourth seat in a contest where neither major party has a clear majority for all positions.
The move to isolate MLAs in Paradip (reportedly at May Fair or a similar facility) is designed to maintain discipline, prevent any cross-voting risks, and execute a precise “group formula” for distributing votes across the three targets. Some MLAs, including those absent on Saturday due to health or personal reasons (such as Kanhai Dang, Tankadhar Tripathy, Padmalochan Panda, and Himanshu Sekhar Sahu), are set to join the training on Sunday.
Speaking to the media before departure, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena highlighted the natural excitement among leaders for electoral success and expressed confidence in BJP’s victory. Mahakalapada MLA Durga Prasanna Nayak described the trip as an informal family-like gathering for new MLAs to learn from experienced ones, while Minister Krushna Chandra Patra noted that the “arithmetic is settled” and the focus is now on finalizing the winning formula for all three candidates.
The Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha are scheduled for March 16, 2026, with BJP leveraging its strong assembly position (around 79-82 effective votes with Independents) to target three seats in a competitive field.
