The BJP on Tuesday announced the nomination of former Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha election from Haryana. Earlier, sources had indicated that the 58-year-old leader was among the frontrunners for the nomination. Other names being considered included former Haryana minister Capt Abhimanyu and senior party leaders Kuldeep Bishnoi and Sunita Duggal.
In 2024, Bhatia, who was the sitting MP from Karnal, stepped aside after the party decided to field former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar from the parliamentary seat. Khattar was named the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate on March 13, 2024, after he resigned as chief minister in a major reshuffle in the state leadership by the party. Currently the MP from Karnal and a Union minister, he was replaced as chief minister by Nayab Singh Saini. Bhatia is considered to be close to Khattar.
From Haryana, two Rajya Sabha seats are set to fall vacant ahead of the upcoming elections. BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra will complete their terms on April 9.
As per the Election Commission’s schedule, 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states — including Haryana, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu — will fall vacant on April 2 and April 9.
The Election Commission issued the notifications for the polls on February 26. Polling, if required, will take place on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, and counting of votes will begin at 5 pm the same day. The last date for filing nominations is March 5. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 6, while the final date for withdrawal of candidature is March 9.
The Election Commission has also directed that voters must use only the integrated violet-colour sketch pen of a fixed specification, provided by the returning officer, to mark their preference on the ballot paper.
In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, while the Congress has 37. The INLD has two MLAs, and three Independents support the ruling party. A candidate requires 31 votes to win one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
In August 2024, Kiran Choudhry, a former minister, was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana in a bypoll. She had joined the BJP ahead of the October 2024 Assembly elections after quitting from the Congress. The bypoll was held after Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak. His Rajya Sabha term was originally scheduled to end on April 9, 2026.
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