BJP Fields Ramdas Athawale, Vinod Tawde From Maharashtra For Rajya Sabha Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party has released its full slate of nominees for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled on March 16, naming candidates from Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha for seats that will fall vacant in April.

The March 16 Rajya Sabha elections will replace members whose terms end in April, and the BJP list signals how the party plans representation from several key states, while also reflecting ongoing changes in national-level leadership roles.

Rajya Sabha elections BJP list for Maharashtra and Haryana

Maharashtra will see four BJP-backed names in the Rajya Sabha elections. The party has fielded Ramdas Athawale, Vinod Tawde, Maya Chintaman Ivnate and Ramrao Wadkute. Vinod Tawde, BJP National General Secretary and in-charge for Bihar, will contest one of seven Maharashtra seats becoming vacant.

From Haryana, the BJP has nominated Sanjay Bhatia for the Rajya Sabha elections. Sanjay Bhatia, a former MP from Karnal and a close associate of Manohar Lal Khattar, is expected to win comfortably because the BJP holds a majority in the 90-member Haryana Assembly.

Rajya Sabha elections nominees from Bihar and Assam

In Bihar, the BJP has chosen Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections. Nitin Nabin represents the Bankipur Assembly constituency and was elevated as BJP's National President earlier this year, succeeding Jagat Prakash Nadda in that role.

The BJP has named two leaders from Assam for the Rajya Sabha elections. Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan will contest Upper House seats from the state, marking their possible entry into national parliamentary politics if they secure enough support.

Rajya Sabha elections picks in Chhattisgarh and Odisha

For Chhattisgarh, the BJP has selected Laxmi Verma to contest the Rajya Sabha elections. In Odisha, the nominees are Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar, reflecting the party's strategy to strengthen its presence in eastern India through the Upper House.

With all these names finalised for the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP has clarified its choices across six states, combining organisational leaders and former MPs, while aligning candidate selection with existing state assembly strengths and upcoming vacancies in the Upper House.