The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, setting the stage for a crucial round of biennial polls. The party named Nitin Nabin as its nominee from Bihar. Alongside him, Shivesh Kumar was also fielded from the state.
From Assam, the BJP selected Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan. In Chhattisgarh, the party picked Laxmi Verma, while Sanjay Bhatia was nominated from Haryana.
Odisha will see Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar contesting on the BJP ticket. From West Bengal, the party has chosen Rahul Sinha as its face for the Upper House race.
37 Seats to Go to Polls on March 16
The Election Commission of India recently confirmed that biennial elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats will be conducted on March 16. These seats are becoming vacant in April as the terms of sitting members conclude.
Polling will take place across ten states — Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.
Maharashtra will witness the highest number of contests, with seven seats up for grabs. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Bihar each have six seats falling vacant. Odisha will see four seats going to polls, while Assam will have elections for three seats. Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Telangana each have two seats up for election, and Himachal Pradesh has one vacancy.
Senior Leaders Completing Their Terms
Several prominent leaders are completing their tenure in the Upper House. Among them are Sharad Pawar, Harivansh Narayan Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Ramdas Athawale, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Saket Gokhale, among others.
Their exit opens the door for a fresh political reshuffle in the Rajya Sabha, where party strength plays a decisive role in legislative battles.
Political Significance
With crucial parliamentary sessions ahead, the Rajya Sabha numbers remain vital for the BJP and opposition parties alike. The latest nominations signal that the party is preparing strategically in states where electoral arithmetic could determine future legislative outcomes.
