BJP Announces Candidates for Upcoming Rajya Sabha Elections Across Multiple States

BJP's Candidate Selections for Rajya Sabha Elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially announced its nominees for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including its national president Nitin Nabin, Union minister Ramdas Athawale, and general secretary Vinod Tawde. The party has revealed candidates from seven different states.

On Tuesday, the BJP disclosed nine candidates from six states, followed by an additional four candidates from Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Nabin, who is contesting from Bihar, is a five-time MLA representing Bankipur and serves as a minister in the Nitish Kumar administration. As the youngest national president in BJP's history, he will need to resign from the Bihar Assembly if he secures a seat.

In addition to Nabin, the party has nominated Shivesh Ram, a former MLA and the current Bihar BJP general secretary, as its second candidate from the state. He is the son of former BJP MP Muni Lal Ram.

Bihar has five vacant Rajya Sabha seats. The ruling BJP and Janata Dal (United) are expected to win two seats each, while the fifth seat will require three additional votes from the Opposition to achieve a majority.

In Maharashtra, the BJP has nominated Athawale and Tawde, along with Maya Chintaman Ivnate and Ramrao Wadkute.

The terms of seven Rajya Sabha MPs from Maharashtra will conclude in April. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is anticipated to secure six out of the seven seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi is yet to finalize its candidate for the remaining seat.

The Nationalist Congress Party has indicated that Parth Pawar, son of the late party chief Ajit Pawar, will submit his nomination.

In Assam, the BJP has selected sitting MLAs Jogen Mohan, a minister in Himanta Biswa Sarma's government, and Terash Gowalla as its candidates.

From West Bengal, former state president Rahul Sinha has been nominated.

In Odisha, the party has fielded state unit president Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar. Former Union coal minister Dilip Ray has also announced his intention to run as an independent candidate from the state, with the BJP indicating support.

In Haryana, the BJP has nominated Sanjay Bhatia, a former Lok Sabha MP, while in Chhattisgarh, the party has put forward its state vice-president Laxmi Verma.

The elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across ten states are set for March 16. Following these elections, another 34 vacancies are expected to arise in the Upper House throughout the year.

The ruling NDA is projected to win approximately 19 seats in March. Currently, it holds 133 MPs in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, with the BJP alone having 103, which is 20 short of the 123-seat majority threshold.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी की केंद्रीय चुनाव समिति ने विभिन्न प्रदेशों में होने वाले राज्यसभा के द्विवार्षिक चुनाव हेतु निम्नलिखित नामों पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की है। pic.twitter.com/38I3mo5KMb

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 3, 2026