BJP Unveils Nine Candidates for Rajya Sabha Biennial Polls as Election Schedule Comes into Effect

New Delhi, March 2026 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released a list of nine candidates for the upcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, setting the stage for a closely watched electoral exercise across multiple states.

Among the nominees is the party’s national president Nitin Nabin, whose name figures prominently on the list. The BJP has fielded Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar from Bihar; Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan from Assam; Laxmi Verma from Chhattisgarh; Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana; Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar from Odisha; and Rahul Sinha from West Bengal. The selection reflects the party’s strategy to balance organisational leadership, regional representation and political experience as it prepares for the Council of States elections.

The announcement follows the declaration of the election schedule by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on February 18. The Commission has notified biennial elections to fill 37 Rajya Sabha seats that will fall vacant from 10 states as sitting members complete their terms in April 2026.

As per the schedule, polling will be held on March 16 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with counting of votes slated for the same day at 5:00 p.m. The Commission has underlined that the entire process will be completed within a tight timeframe to ensure continuity in the functioning of the Upper House.

The formal notification for the elections is to be issued on February 26. The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as March 5, while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 6. Candidates will be permitted to withdraw their nominations until March 9, after which the final list of contestants will be confirmed.

In a bid to maintain procedural uniformity and secrecy of the ballot, the ECI has specified that only integrated violet sketch pens of pre-determined specifications, supplied by the Returning Officer, will be allowed for marking preferences on ballot papers. No other writing instruments will be permitted under any circumstances.

To ensure transparency and adherence to electoral norms, observers will be deployed to monitor the polling and counting process. The Commission has stressed strict compliance with all guidelines to uphold the integrity of the elections.

The members whose terms are ending represent Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. With major political parties finalising their candidates, the biennial Rajya Sabha elections are expected to play a significant role in shaping the composition of the Upper House in the coming year.