New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled later this month.
The party has announced four names in the second list, including Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and Maharashtra BJP President Vinod Tawde. The other candidates include Maya Chintaman Ivnate and Ramrao Wadkute.
With this announcement, the BJP has now declared 13 candidates from seven states for the Rajya Sabha elections.
First List Included Nine Candidates
Earlier, the BJP had released its first list of candidates which included nine names from six states.
From Bihar, the party nominated Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar.
From Chhattisgarh, Lakshmi Verma has been nominated.
In Assam, the party fielded Teras Gowala and Jogen Mohan.
From Haryana, Sanjay Bhatia has been named as the candidate.
In Odisha, Manmohan Samal and Sujit Kumar have been nominated.
From West Bengal, Rahul Sinha has been announced as the BJP candidate.
Rajya Sabha Polls on March 16
The Election Commission of India has scheduled elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states.
Voting will take place on March 16 between 9 AM and 4 PM, and counting will begin at 5 PM on the same day.
These elections are being conducted as the terms of several Rajya Sabha members are set to expire in April 2026.
Six-Year Term for Rajya Sabha Members
Members of the Rajya Sabha serve a six-year term. After being elected and taking the oath, the newly elected members will serve until 2032.
The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house of Parliament and is never dissolved. Instead, one-third of its members retire every two years, and elections are held to fill those vacancies.
Seats Held by NDA and Opposition
Out of the 37 seats going to polls, 12 are currently held by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while 25 are held by opposition parties.
States with the highest number of seats going to polls include:
- Maharashtra – 7 seats
- Tamil Nadu – 6 seats
- West Bengal – 5 seats
- Bihar – 5 seats
Prominent leaders whose terms are ending include Sharad Pawar, Ramdas Athawale, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Tiruchi Siva, and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.
Special Voting Procedure
The Election Commission has clarified that MLAs will vote using a special violet-coloured sketch pen provided by the Returning Officer. Any vote cast using another pen will be considered invalid.
Observers will also be deployed to ensure the elections are conducted peacefully and fairly.
Awareness Campaign on Voting Technology
The Election Commission has also conducted awareness campaigns on voting technologies such as EVMs and VVPATs.
Demonstration programs were organized in several states including Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.
Over 1.20 lakh people participated in demonstration camps, while more than 1.16 lakh mock votes were cast during the awareness activities.
Mobile demonstration vans also covered over 29,000 polling stations to educate voters about the voting process.
How Rajya Sabha Elections Work
Unlike Lok Sabha elections, Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly.
Members of the State Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) elect candidates through a system called proportional representation using the single transferable vote.
Strength of the Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha currently has 245 members.
- 233 members are elected by state legislatures
- 12 members are nominated by the President of India
Nominated members are typically individuals who have made notable contributions to art, literature, science or social service.
Example: Vote Calculation
For example, in Maharashtra, where seven seats are up for election, the state assembly has 288 MLAs.
The formula used to determine the winning quota is:
Total MLAs × 100 ÷ (Seats + 1) + 1
288 × 100 ÷ (7 + 1) + 1
= 28800 ÷ 8 + 1
= 3600 + 1
= 3601
Since each MLA vote carries a value of 100, a candidate requires the support of at least 36 MLAs to win a Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra.
Political Developments
Political discussions are ongoing in several states ahead of the elections.
In Bihar, there is speculation over whether Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ramnath Thakur may be renominated.
Reports also suggest that Chirag Paswan has demanded a Rajya Sabha seat for his mother.
Meanwhile, in Chhattisgarh, the terms of MPs K. T. S. Tulsi and Phulo Devi Netam are ending.
In Haryana, the terms of Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chandra Jangra are also coming to an end.
These developments could significantly influence the final composition of the Rajya Sabha.
