Tarun Chugh, Alka Gurjar, Satish Poonia among prominent names on BJP list of 11 candidates for RS polls

Looking to increase its strength in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP on Thursday announced its national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Dr. Alka Gurjar and former Rajasthan BJP chief Dr. Satish Poonia as its candidates for the upcoming elections to Upper House.

The BJP’s Central Election Committee announced the list of 11 candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha polls scheduled across several states, along with the by-election in Odisha.

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The polls for 24 Rajya Sabha seats spread across 10 states are set to take place on June 18, as announced by the Election Commission.

The elections will cover seats from 10 states including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Mizoram. These posts fell vacant due to the retirement of sitting lawmakers from the Upper House, between June 21 and July 19.

Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agarwal have been announced as the party’s candidates from Madhya Pradesh.

In Gujarat, the saffron party has announced a strong list of four candidates which includes Rajubhai Shukla, Mukeshbhai Rathwa, Mansingh Parmar and Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanjariya.

From Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP nominated Tai Tagak, a prominent figure in the state’s political field while Manipur will be represented by A Sharda Devi, a leader known for her organisational acumen.

From Rajasthan, the BJP fielded prominent party leaders Dr. Alka Gurjar and Dr. Satish Poonia, both of whom bring significant political experience and grassroots connect to the table.

For the Rajya Sabha by-election in Odisha, the saffron party fielded Debasish Samantaray, a crucial move in a state where the party continues to expand its footprint.

According to the poll panel, the tenure of 24 Rajya Sabha members elected from 10 states is set to expire during the June-July period.

Among prominent leaders whose terms are ending are Digvijaya Singh from Madhya Pradesh, H D Deve Gowda and Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka.

The election will also be held for the seat held by the late Shibu Soren from Jharkhand, which has remained vacant since August 4, 2025.

The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Council of States, is the Upper House of Parliament, where members are elected by elected representatives of the states and union territories through a system of proportional representation.