The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Sudhanshu Trivedi and RPN Singh were nominated from Uttar Pradesh while in Haryana, former state BJP chief Subhash Barala was announced as the party's candidate.


Former Congress leader RPN Singh, hailing from the esteemed Gond royal family, is nominated replacing Saroj Pandey. The lineup also introduces new faces like Narayansa K Bhandage from Karnataka and Devendra Pratap Singh from Chhattisgarh, recognised for their work for the party.


The BJP has nominated Dharmsheela Gupta and Bhim Singh in Bihar, Raja Devendra Pratap Singh in Chhattisgarh, Narayana Krishanasa Bhandage in Karnataka, Mahendra Bhatt in Uttarakhand, and Samik Bhattacharya in West Bengal.


In Uttar Pradesh, the party's candidates include Sadhna Singh, Amarpal Maurya, Sangita Balwant, and Navin Jain.






Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and BJP's chief spokesperson Anil Baluni find themselves replaced, hinting at potential candidacies in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, the fate of senior Bihar leader Sushil Kumar Modi remains uncertain as his name is notably absent from the candidate list.


TMC Announces Candidates For February 27 Rajya Sabha Elections


Earlier in the day, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls from West Bengal. Journalist Sagarika Ghose, party leader Sushmita Dev, along with Md Nadimul Haque and Mamata Bala Thakur have been named as the TMC's nominees. The party expressed its optimism and support for the candidates, stating, "We extend our heartfelt wishes to them, and may they work towards upholding Trinamool's enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy for the rights of every Indian."


Notably, Mamata Bala Thakur's nomination has drawn considerable attention. Thakur, a former Lok Sabha MP and a prominent Matua leader, faces BJP's Shantanu Thakur, a relative, in the Matua-dominated Bongaon constituency. Her nomination occurs amidst BJP's efforts to woo the Matua community with promises regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.


ALSO READ | Rajya Sabha Election: TMC Names Sagarika Ghose, Sushmita Dev With 2 Others As Candidates 


ECI Announcement On Rajya Sabha Election 2024


Last month, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the schedule for the Rajya Sabha elections across 15 states, encompassing 56 seats. The polling for these seats, scheduled for February 27, aims to fill vacancies created by retiring members in April 2024.


According to the commission's press note, Uttar Pradesh will witness the retirement of the highest count of members, totaling 10, on April 2, 2024. Similarly, Maharashtra and Bihar will see six members retiring on the same date. West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh are set to have five members each retiring on April 2, 2024. Karnataka and Gujarat will observe the retirement of four members each on the same date.


Furthermore, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Rajasthan will each witness the retirement of three members, with their retirement dates falling in early April 2024. Additionally, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are expected to have one member each retiring on April 2, 2024.


The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections are poised to be a crucial battleground for political parties, with each vying to secure a strong representation in the upper house of the Parliament.


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