The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with party president JP Nadda set to contest from Gujarat and former Congress leader Ashok Chavan from Maharashtra. The latest list comprises seven nominees, with four for Gujarat and three for Maharashtra.
Joining JP Nadda in the race from Gujarat are Govindbhai Dholakia, Mayankbhai Nayak, and Dr Jashvantsinh Parmar. In Maharashtra, the BJP has nominated Medha Kulkarni and Dr Ajit Gopchhade as its candidates.
JP Nadda, currently a Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh, has been fielded from Gujarat due to the BJP’s limited representation in the Congress-ruled hill state.
Former Congress leader Ashok Chavan, who joined the BJP on Tuesday, will now vie for a seat in Maharashtra, a move that follows his resignation from the Congress in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
In a separate announcement, the BJP revealed the nomination of Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw from Odisha and L Murugan from Madhya Pradesh for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
The BJP had earlier named 14 candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, including former Union Minister R P N Singh and party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi.
As the political arena intensifies in the lead-up to the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for February 27, the BJP aims to consolidate its position in the upper house. The last day for filing nomination papers is February 15, and the results are expected to be announced on the same day.
The Election Commission has scheduled the Rajya Sabha elections for 15 states, including Uttar Pradesh, with voting set to take place from 9 am to 4 pm on February 27. The polls are part of the biennial exercise covering 56 seats, as the tenure of the incumbents concludes in April.
With the BJP actively shaping its strategy for the upcoming elections, the political landscape is poised for a dynamic shift, determining the composition of the Rajya Sabha in the coming years.
