Bhubaneswar, March 5: Senior BJD leader Santrupt Misra and noted physician Dr Datteswar Hota on Wednesday filed their nominations for the Rajya Sabha 2026 elections.

The duo filed their nomination papers in the presence of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik and Odisha Congress unit president Bhakta Charan Das before the Returning Officer in the Odisha Assembly.

The BJD president had named corporate leader-turned-politician Santrupt Misra as the party’s nominee. Former Odisha University of Health Sciences (OUHS) vice-chancellor (VC) Dr Datteswar Hota has been fielded as the common BJD-Congress candidate.

Odisha Congress announced support for Dr Hota in Rajya Sabha race.

This contest is not merely between BJP-backed Independent Dilip Ray and Dr. Hota for the final berth. It has evolved into a high-stakes political moment, one that could signal shifting alliances.

Elections will be held for four seats. While the BJP has the numbers to win two and the BJD is comfortably positioned to secure Misra’s seat, the Congress announced support for Hota.

A noted urologist, Hota, was the first VC of OUHS and earlier served as principal of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. He is credited to have initiated the kidney transplant programme at the SCBMC&H.

While the BJD supported BJP candidate and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in 2019 and 2024, this marked the first-time Naveen reached an understanding with the Congress for a seat in the Upper House.

If BJD, the main opposition force in the State and Congress MLAs vote along party lines, the election of both Misra and Hota should be smooth. Each candidate needs 30 first-preference votes; the BJD has 48 MLAs (excluding two suspended members) and the Congress has 14, giving them a combined strength of 62 - two more than required.