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The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, clearing nine names across six states.

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According to an official press release, the announcement was made by the party's Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters. From Bihar, the party has selected BJP National President Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar. In Assam, the nominees are Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan, while in Chhattisgarh, Laxmi Verma will be contesting. Haryana's candidate is Sanjay Bhatia. Odisha will have Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar representing the party, and from West Bengal, Rahul Sinha has been chosen.

AITC Announces Four Candidates

Earlier, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) announced four candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections: Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar, Menaka Guruswamy, and Koel Mallick. Babul Supriyo, a former Union Minister who later joined the Trinamool Congress, currently serves as Cabinet Minister of Information Technology and Electronics of the Government of West Bengal. Rajeev Kumar is a former Director General of Police of West Bengal. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy is known for her legal work in constitutional matters, while Koel Mallick is a prominent figure in the Bengali film industry.

BJD Names Two for Odisha

Meanwhile, Naveen Patnaik, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, earlier announced two candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Addressing reporters, Patnaik announced Dr Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota as the candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. "For the Rajya Sabha election, our party has decided to give two candidates. The first candidate for the third seat is Dr Santrupt Misra, a senior member from our party. The second candidate for the fourth seat is a common candidate, Dr Datteswar Hota, a renowned doctor from Odisha who was the first vice chancellor of the Odisha Health University and was also the principal of the SCB Medical College. Since he is a common candidate, I appeal to all the parties to support him and send him to the Rajya Sabha," Patnaik said.

Election Schedule Announced

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that polling for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections will be held on March 16, with vote counting the same day at 5 pm and the process concluding by March 20. The elections will fill 37 seats across 10 states - Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana - whose members' terms end in April 2026. The notification was issued on February 26, commencing the election process, while the last date for nominations is March 5, scrutiny on March 6, and withdrawal by March 9. (ANI)