The Bharatiya Janata Party has released a list of nine candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled in 2026. The list was issued one day before the end of the nomination process.
The announcement comes ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and includes candidates from multiple states. According to the list released by the party, Nitin Naveen and Shivesh Kumar have been nominated from Bihar, while Rahul Sinha has been nominated from West Bengal.
Other candidates named by the party include Terash Gowala and Jegen Mohan from Assam, Manmohan Samal and Sujit Kumar from Odisha, Laxmi Verma from Chhattisgarh, and Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana.
National Lok Morcha president Upendra Kushwaha has been declared a Rajya Sabha candidate by the party as part of the National Democratic Alliance. State spokesperson Nitin Bharti said the decision was taken after consultations with the leadership of the alliance. Kushwaha is scheduled to file his nomination in the Bihar Legislative Assembly on March 5. Leaders of the alliance’s constituent parties are expected to be present during the filing of the nomination.
According to the Election Commission of India, Rajya Sabha seats from several states will go to polls in this phase. Elections are scheduled for seven seats in Maharashtra, four seats in Odisha, two seats in Telangana, six seats in Tamil Nadu, two seats in Chhattisgarh, five seats in West Bengal, three seats in Assam, two seats in Haryana, one seat in Himachal Pradesh, and five seats in Bihar.
Voting will take place on March 16 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Counting of votes will begin at 5 p.m. the same day.
Following the announcement of his candidature, Nitin Naveen said in a media interaction that Bihar holds special importance for him. Extending greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Holi, he said the festival represents social harmony and brotherhood.
“Holi feels incomplete without coming to Bihar. Celebrating the festival with family, workers and the people of the state brings a distinct sense of joy. The festival conveys the message of the victory of good over evil and inspires us to move forward with development and positive thinking,” he said.
