Ramdas Athawale meets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis ahead Rajya Sabha election
Mumbai, March 4
Union Minister and Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai ahead of Rajya Sabha elections.
On Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of candidates for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections, clearing nine names across six states. The announcement was made by the party's Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters.
From Bihar, the party has nominated National President Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar. In Assam, the nominees are Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan. Laxmi Verma has been fielded from Chhattisgarh, while Sanjay Bhatia is the candidate from Haryana. Odisha will see Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar contesting on the BJP ticket, and Rahul Sinha has been nominated from West Bengal.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for March 16, with counting to take place the same day at 5 pm. The entire election process will conclude by March 20.
The biennial elections will fill 37 seats across 10 states - Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana - where members' terms are set to expire in April 2026.
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.
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.
Patnaik announced Dr Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota as the candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The mix of candidates is quite diverse - from former police chiefs to film stars and lawyers. Menaka Guruswamy's nomination is particularly noteworthy given her work on constitutional matters. Rajya Sabha needs such expertise.
As a Maharashtrian, I'm more interested in what this means for our state. The meeting suggests BJP is securing its support base. But ultimately, we need representatives who will raise issues like farmer distress and unemployment in the upper house, not just party loyalists. 🤔
Babul Supriyo switching sides and now getting a Rajya Sabha ticket...politics! 😅 But good to see Koel Mallick from Tollywood getting recognition. The Rajya Sabha should have voices from different fields.
The process seems efficient with polling and counting on the same day. Hope all parties field candidates who are knowledgeable and can contribute meaningfully to debates, not just for voting numbers.
While the political maneuvering is expected, I respectfully feel the article focuses too much on the 'who' and not enough on the 'why'. What are the key legislative challenges these new members will face? What vision do they have for the states they represent? That context is missing.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.