BJP Announces Candidates for Rajya Sabha Elections Across Six States

The Bharatiya Janata Party has disclosed its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, naming nine contenders from six states. The election, covering 37 seats across 10 states, will take place on March 16. Concurrently, other major political parties have also announced their candidates.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday unveiled its initial list of candidates for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, identifying nine individuals across six states. This announcement was made by the party's Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters, as per an official press release.

From Bihar, the BJP selected its National President Nitin Nabin alongside Shivesh Kumar. In Assam, the nominees are Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan, while Chhattisgarh will see Laxmi Verma contesting. Sanjay Bhatia is the chosen candidate from Haryana. Odisha is represented by Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar, and Rahul Sinha has been nominated from West Bengal. Prior to this, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) announced four candidates: Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar, Menaka Guruswamy, and Koel Mallick.

The AITC's Babul Supriyo, a former Union Minister now serving as West Bengal's Cabinet Minister of Information Technology and Electronics, joins candidates like former Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy and famous Bengali film personality Koel Mallick complete the AITC roster. Additionally, Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) leader, Naveen Patnaik, announced Dr Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota as their contenders.

Addressing the press, Patnaik emphasized the need for bipartisan support for Dr Hota, a notable figure in Odisha's medical education sector. The Election Commission of India (ECI) scheduled the polling for March 16, with vote counting on the same day, wrapping up the process by March 20. These elections will fill 37 vacancies across 10 states, set to occur before members' terms end in April 2026.

The election procedures began with the issuance of the notification on February 26. Nominations are expected by March 5, with scrutiny on March 6 and withdrawal by March 9.

(With inputs from agencies.)