Rajya Sabha Elections 2026: Ramdas Athawale, Vinod Tawde among BJP's four candidates from Maharashtra

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 4 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday announced four candidates from Maharashtra for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections, announcing the names of Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde among 2 others.
The Republican Party of India chief and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale is set for another term in the Upper House, whereas BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde is looking to enter the Rajya Sabha for the first time. Ramrao Wadkute and Maya Chitaman Ivnate are also selected as candidates.
The BJP had earlier released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, clearing nine names across six states.
According to an official press release, the announcement was made by the party's Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters.
From Bihar, the party has selected BJP National President Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar. In Assam, the nominees are Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan, while in Chhattisgarh, Laxmi Verma will be contesting. Haryana's candidate is Sanjay Bhatia. Odisha will have Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar representing the party, and from West Bengal, Rahul Sinha has been chosen.
Apart from BJP, 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.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that polling for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections will be held on March 16, with vote counting the same day at 5 pm and the process concluding by March 20.
The elections will fill 37 seats across 10 states - Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana - whose members' terms end in April 2026.
The notification was issued on February 26, commencing the election process, while the last date for nominations is March 5, scrutiny on March 6, and withdrawal by March 9. (ANI)