Former Union Minister Dillip Ray won the Rajya Sabha elections from Odisha, winning the fourth and most closely contested seat on Monday. Contesting as an independent with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ray defeated the joint opposition candidate Datteswar Hota, who was supported by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
