Bhubaneswar: Sujeet Kumar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll on Monday, submitting two sets of papers in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, BJP state president Manmohan Samal, senior MLA Jayanarayan Mishra, and 30 MLAs as proposers.
Kumar, who recently joined the BJP after resigning from the BJD and his Rajya Sabha seat on September 6, was declared the BJP’s candidate by its Central Selection Committee. Before filing his nomination, Kumar met BJP state president Manmohan Samal and senior party leader Pradeep Nayak at the BJP state office.
The Rajya Sabha seat is expected to go to the BJP given its majority in the Odisha Assembly. So far, no candidates from the Congress or BJD have filed nominations, with the deadline for submission set for tomorrow.
This is the second time the BJP has fielded a former BJD leader in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, Mamata Mohanta also joined the BJP and was successfully re-elected to the Upper House. If elected, Sujeet Kumar will continue in the office till completion of his term in April 2026.
Belonging to Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district, Sujeet Kumar, earned a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) from Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (formerly UCE Burla) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Sambalpur University. He later received the inaugural Skoll Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurship, which enabled him to pursue an MBA at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Kumar also holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University.
Kumar’s professional career began in the corporate world as a software engineer with Infosys Technologies Ltd. He later transitioned to the development sector, working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement an ICT for Development project in Odisha aimed at bringing digital technology to remote areas. He also served at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva, where he managed and designed key global initiatives.
In 2011, Kumar returned to India and founded the Kalinga Kusum Foundation, a social enterprise, and LexMantra LLP, a legal and business consulting firm. Kumar has held key roles in governance and public policy, serving as the Advisor (with the rank of Chief Secretary) to the Special Development Council of Odisha and as Special Secretary of the Odisha State Planning Board. He became one of the youngest leaders to chair a parliamentary committee, heading the Rajya Sabha Committee on Petitions.
In December 2021, he was appointed as the convenor of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet, reflecting his active role in international parliamentary initiatives.
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