BJP Announces Nine Candidates for Rajya Sabha Elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday announced nine candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including its national president Nitin Nabin from Bihar, as the ruling party seeks to strengthen its presence in India's upper house of Parliament. The biennial polls, scheduled for March 16, will fill 37 vacancies across 10 states where terms of sitting members expire in April.

Nabin, who was elected unopposed as the BJP's national president in January and currently serves as a member of the Bihar legislative assembly from the Bankipur constituency, is among two candidates fielded by the party from Bihar. The other is Shivesh Kumar, the party's general secretary in the state. The nominations follow a tradition within the BJP, as Nabin's predecessors, J.P. Nadda and Amit Shah, were also elected to the Rajya Sabha after assuming the party's top post.

The full list of candidates, approved by the BJP's central election committee, includes Rahul Sinha, the party's former West Bengal unit chief, from West Bengal; Laxmi Verma, vice-president of the Chhattisgarh unit, from Chhattisgarh; Jogen Mohan, Assam's public works department minister, and Teras Gowala, a state legislator, from...