The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) nominated its national president Nitin Nabin as the party’s candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Bihar.
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Mr. Nabin’s nomination and subsequent election will entail his resignation from the Bihar Assembly, where he is a member, and a full-time shift to Delhi, an imperative for the national president.
Former BJP MLA from Bihar Shivesh Kumar is the party’s second nominee from the State. He is a leader from the Ravidas community and is the son of former IAS officer and Minister in the Vajpayee government Munni Lal.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar are going to polls, with NDA allies BJP and Janata Dal (U) contesting for two seats each. The alliance can win the fifth seat if it manages three Opposition votes. BJP ally and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha has announced himself as the fifth nominee; he is likely to get support from NDA allies.
The Election Commission will hold biennial elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 States on March 16.
Nominations from the poll-bound States of Assam and West Bengal signal that new candidates will be fielded for the Assembly elections with State leaders being moved to Delhi.
Minister in the Himanta Biswa Sarma government Jogen Mohan and sitting MLA Terash Gowala, who are close to Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, have been nominated for the Upper House. Mr. Mohan is an MLA from Mahmara in Upper Assam, while Mr. Gowala, who comes from the community of tea garden workers, is an MLA from Duliajan, an important oil township.
In West Bengal, former State BJP president Rahul Sinha, an old party loyalist, has been nominated. Mr. Sinha contested Assembly polls in West Bengal on several occasions, including in 2021, but electoral success eluded him.
In Odisha, the BJP has named the party’s State president Manmohan Samal and current Rajya Sabha member Sujeet Kumar as its two candidates. With 78 BJP seats in the Assembly and support of three independent MLAs, the two candidates will comfortably win.
Mr. Samal, who was credited with leading the party to victory in the 2024 Assembly election, was expected to be rehabilitated following his loss from Chandbali in the State polls. Mr. Kumar was initially elected to the Upper House as a Biju Janata Dal candidate. Following his resignation, the BJP retained him as its MP for the remaining term. Now, he will contest for a full Rajya Sabha term.
Dilip Ray, former Union Coal Minister, has announced to contest as an independent candidate from Odisha. Mr. Samal said the party has in principle decided to support his candidature.
From Haryana, the BJP has named Sanjay Bhatia, a former Lok Sabha MP who was actively involved in the BJP’s Assembly election management in the State. Considered a close confidant of former Chief Minister and current Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Mr. Bhatia was elected to the Lok Sabha from Karnal in 2019.
The practice of rewarding organisational personnel with Rajya Sabha seats is seen in the nomination from Chhattisgarh as well, with State BJP vice-president Laxmi Verma being given a ticket. Ms. Verma, who is from the Kurmi community, has been Raipur district panchayat chief and the party’s State women’s wing president.
The BJP is yet to announce nominees from Maharashtra, where its Mahayuthi alliance is in a position to grab six out of the seven seats in the fray. The last date of nominations is March 5, with polls to be held on March 16.
