BJP’s national president, Nitin Nabin, has been nominated to contest from Bihar. The announcement was made by the party’s Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters.
BJP nominees by state-
Bihar: Nitin Nabin, Shivesh Kumar.
Assam: Terash Gowalla, Jogen Mohan.
Chhattisgarh: Laxmi Verma.
Haryana: Sanjay Bhatia.
Odisha: Manmohan Samal, Sujeet Kumar.
West Bengal: Rahul Sinha
The Election Commission has set the polling date for the
Rajya Sabha biennial elections on March 16. Vote counting is scheduled for the same day at 5 pm, and the process concludes by March 20.
A total of 37 seats across 10 states, including Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana, will be contested.
The official notification for the elections was issued on February 26. All political parties are preparing for a tightly contested poll, with nominations to close on March 5 and scrutiny scheduled for March 6. Withdrawal of candidature is due by March 9.
These elections will fill the seats of Rajya Sabha members whose terms end in April 2026.
A number of senior leaders, including Union Ministers Ramnath Thakur and Ramdas Athawale, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Sharad Pawar, Upendra Kushwaha, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, M Thambidurai, and Tiruchi Shiva, will complete their tenure in the Upper House this year.
Other parties have also announced their nominees. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) recently named four candidates: Babul Supriyo, a former Union Minister and current Cabinet Minister of IT and Electronics in West Bengal; Rajeev Kumar, former Director General of Police of West Bengal; Menaka Guruswamy, a senior advocate known for her constitutional law expertise; and Koel Mallick, a prominent figure in the Bengali film industry.
In Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) announced two candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections. Party president Naveen Patnaik named Dr Santrupt Misra, a senior party member, and Dr Datteswar Hota, a renowned doctor and former Vice Chancellor of Odisha Health University, who is contesting as a common candidate supported across party lines. Patnaik asked all parties to back Dr Hota.
The EC has also issued guidelines for the upcoming polls. The poll body specified that only integrated violet-coloured sketch pens provided by the Returning Officer should be used to mark preferences on the ballot paper. No other pens are allowed. The commission also announced that observers will be appointed to closely monitor the process.
