Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday visited the Odisha BJP office here and discussed strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections with senior party leaders.

The BJP, which has 79 MLAs in the state Assembly and the support of three Independents, has fielded state president Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha member Sujit Kumar, whose term ends on April 2, in the biennial polls.

While their victory is seen as certain, attention is on former Union minister Dilip Ray, contesting as an Independent with BJP backing.

The BJD, with an effective strength of 48 MLAs after two suspensions, has fielded Santrupt Misra and is backing urologist Dr Datteswar Hota.

Sources said Shah reviewed the numbers and stressed ensuring victory for all three candidates.

After the meeting, Samal said: “Amit Shah discussed the issues related to the organisation and our government in the state.” Samal also expressed confidence in a clean sweep.

Ray said he also spoke with Shah about the Rajya Sabha elections in the state.