Jammu: The political landscape for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections sharpened on Thursday as both the BJP and Congress released their lists of candidates for the biennial polls scheduled for June 18, fielding senior leaders across multiple states while also triggering speculation over exclusions and organisational shifts.
The BJP announced 11 candidates for Rajya Sabha seats across five states, nominating senior leader and national general secretary Tarun Chugh from Madhya Pradesh. Chugh, who also serves as the party’s in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir affairs, figures prominently in the list amid the party’s broader organisational reshuffle ahead of the polls.
However, the absence of Union ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurian from the list has drawn attention within political circles, as both are completing their Rajya Sabha terms on June 21. Their exclusion has sparked speculation over a possible Cabinet and organisational reshuffle in the coming weeks.
In its list, the BJP has fielded former Rajasthan party president Satish Poonia from Rajasthan, while Alka Gurjar, national secretary and co-in-charge for Delhi, has also been nominated from the state.
From Gujarat, the party has named Rajubhai Shukla, Mukeshbhai Rathwa, Mansingh Parmar and Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanzariya as candidates. Rajneesh Agrawal has been fielded from Madhya Pradesh, while Manipur BJP president A. Sharda Devi and senior leader Tai Tagak will contest from Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh respectively.
The BJP has also fielded Debashish Samantaray from Odisha, who recently joined the party after quitting the Biju Janata Dal and resigning from the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, the Congress announced its list of seven candidates, renominating party president Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka. The party also fielded its media and publicity department in-charge Pawan Khera and Mansoor Ali Khan from Karnataka.
According to AICC general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Meenakshi Natarajan has been fielded from Madhya Pradesh, Praveen Chakravarty from Tamil Nadu, and Neeraj Dangi has been renominated from Rajasthan. Pranav Jha, currently attached to the Congress president, has been nominated from Jharkhand.
Venugopal said that the Congress President has approved the candidature of all nominees for the biennial and bye-elections to the Council of States.
The Rajya Sabha elections will be held on June 18 across 10 states for 24 seats, along with bye-elections for additional vacancies. The last date for filing nominations is June 8.
