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NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Union curate Ramdas Athawale were among 26 candidates who were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha connected Monday (March 9, 2026).
After the past day of withdrawal of candidature, elections to 11 seats of the Upper House — 5 successful Bihar, 4 successful Odisha and 2 successful Haryana — would beryllium held connected March 16.
Bihar's longest serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP president Nitin Nabin are apt to beryllium elected to the Rajya Sabha successful the biennial elections.
As galore arsenic 40 candidates had filed their papers for 37 seats that fell vacant successful 10 states, starring to a keen contention for 1 spot each successful Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. Fourteen candidates present stay successful the fray for 11 seats.
BJP president Nabin connected Monday (March 9, 2026) appointed cardinal observers for Rajya Sabha polls successful Bihar, Haryana and Odisha.
Union curate Harsh Malhotra and Chhattisgarh lawman main curate Vijay Sharma person been appointed arsenic cardinal observers for the polls successful Bihar.
Gujarat lawman main curate Harsh Sanghavi has been made perceiver for Haryana, portion Maharashtra curate Chandrasekhar Bawankule volition beryllium cardinal perceiver for Odisha, a notification stated.
Bihar volition witnesser a keen contention for 1 spot arsenic RJD MP Amarendra Dhari Singh, a businessman turned politician, has been renominated. Other NDA candidates from Bihar are Union curate Ram Nath Thakur seeking a hattrick, RLM president Upendra Kushwaha aiming for a 2nd consecutive term, and BJP authorities wide caput Shivesh Kumar making his parliamentary debut.
Nitish Kumar announced his determination to participate the Rajya Sabha past week, bringing the curtains down connected his 20-year tenure arsenic the state's longest-serving CM.
The RJD has 25 MLAs on with 10 others of the Mahagathbandhan, including the Congress and Left, and hopes to marque up for the shortage of six votes with the assistance of the AIMIM and the BSP.
According to Bihar Vidhan Sabha caput Khyati Singh, nary of the six candidates withdrew their information papers, "necessitating voting for the archetypal clip successful the authorities successful much than a decade".
Odisha excessively shall person a contention for 1 seat, arsenic 2 candidates each of ruling BJP - State portion president Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar and absorption BJD's Santrupt Misra and eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota, are successful the fray portion Dilip Ray filed arsenic an autarkic with BJP's support, sparking anticipation of cross-voting.
Another keen contention is awaited for 1 spot successful Haryana, which has seen cross-voting successful the past too. The Congress has 37 MLAs and to triumph 1 seat, the absorption enactment needs lone 31 archetypal penchant votes.
Satish Nandal, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 assembly polls arsenic a BJP nominee, filed information arsenic an Independent, becoming the 3rd entrant successful the contention aft BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Karamvir Singh Boudh of the Congress.
The elections are being held to capable up 7 seats successful Maharashtra, six successful Tamil Nadu, 5 each successful Bihar and West Bengal, 4 successful Odisha, 3 successful Assam and 2 each successful Haryana, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, too 1 spot successful Himachal Pradesh.
The BJP is acceptable to summation its tally successful the Rajya Sabha, wherever it volition person the maximum fig of seats aft this circular of election.
Among those who were elected unopposed to the Upper House see erstwhile lawman talker of Lok Sabha M Thambidurai of DMK and noted lawyer Abhishek Singhvi of the Congress.
In Maharashtra, each 7 candidates including six of the ruling Mahayuti confederation and absorption Maha Vikas Aghadi nominee Sharad Pawar, were elected unopposed.
Union curate Athawale and BJP person Vinod Tawde were elected unopposed from Maharashtra. Besides, BJP's Ramrao Wadkute and Maya Ivnate, a erstwhile politician of Nagpur, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Jyoti Waghmare were besides elected unopposed, on with erstwhile lawman main curate Ajit Pawar's lad Parth Pawar.
In poll-bound West Bengal, ruling TMC's 4 candidates - Babul Supriyo, erstwhile West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, elder Supreme Court advocator Menaka Guruswamy and histrion Koel Mallick were besides elected unopposed, on with BJP's erstwhile authorities portion president Rahul Sinha.
In Assam, 3 candidates of ruling NDA — Jogen Mohan and Terash Gowala on with UPPL's Pramod Boro were besides elected unopposed.
In Telangana, Congress candidates Abhishek Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy were elected unopposed. In Tamil Nadu, each six candidates were elected unopposed.
AIADMK sitting MP M. Thambidurai and PMK person Anbumani Ramadoss on with ruling DMK candidates Tiruchi Siva and J Constantine Ravindran were elected. Besides, Congress campaigner M Christopher Tilak and DMDK treasurer L.K. Sudeesh were besides elected unopposed.
In Chhattisgarh, BJP's Laxmi Verma and Congress campaigner Phulo Devi Netam were elected unopposed, arsenic they were the lone 2 candidates successful the fray for 2 seats.
In the elevation authorities of Himachal Pradesh, Congress campaigner Anurag Sharma, a adjacent confidant of main curate Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, was elected.
