Rajya Sabha Elections: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 3 March announced nine candidates the the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for 16 March, with party National President Nitin Nabin set to contest from Bihar.
The party has also Shivesh Kumar from Bihar. From Assam, the saffron party has nominated Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan, while from Chhattisgarh, it has named Laxmi Verma as its candidate.
The party has fielded Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana and State unit chief Manmohan Samal, along with Sujeet Kumar from Odisha
From West Bengal, the party has fielded Rahul Sinha.
Biennial elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on 16 March, the Election Commission announced on 18 February, setting the stage for a politically consequential contest that will reflect the current balance of power in several state Assemblies.
The vacancies in the Upper House will be created as sitting members complete their terms in April 2026. The states where seats are falling vacant are Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.
The election process has already begun, with notifications issued on 26 February. The last date for filing nominations is 5 March, while scrutiny will be conducted on 6 March. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until 9 March.
Who is Nitin Nabin?
Nabin, 45, has been the national president of the BJP since January 2026, when he became the youngest leader ever to head the saffron party. Before that, Nabin served as the party’s national working president from December 2025.
Nabin is a five-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Bankipur constituency in Patna. He has also served as a minister in the Bihar government, holding portfolios such as Road Construction, Urban Housing and Development, and Law & Justice in the Nitish Kumar-led state government.
Nabin, a member of a political family, is the son of the late BJP leader Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha. With his fresh nomination, Nabin is all set to enter the Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member.
