BJP Releases Rajya Sabha Candidates List for 2026: Satish Poonia, Tarun Chugh Among Nominees
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and bypolls, selecting a mix of senior leaders, grassroots organizers, and regionally influential figures. The nominations reflect the party’s effort to balance political strategy, organizational strength, and local caste and regional equations across several states.
Among the key names, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has been fielded from Madhya Pradesh. Chugh is considered a major party strategist and has served as in-charge for several states. He is currently handling responsibilities related to Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, and Ladakh. Along with him, Rajneesh Agrawal, a senior leader from the Madhya Pradesh unit and a state general secretary, has also been nominated from the state.
In Rajasthan, the party has given a Rajya Sabha ticket to former state BJP president and Haryana BJP in-charge Dr. Satish Poonia. The move is being seen as an important political decision, given his strong grassroots connect and organizational experience. Dr. Alka Gurjar has also been named as a candidate from Rajasthan.
The BJP has made four nominations from Gujarat, one of its strongest political bastions. The candidates are Raju Bhai Shukla, Mukesh Bhai Rathwa, Mansingh Parmar, and Jitendra Meghji Bhai Kanjaria. Through these selections, the party appears to be targeting regional, tribal, OBC, and caste-based equations across Saurashtra, central Gujarat, and southern Gujarat.
Raju Shukla, from Mehsana, is a grassroots party worker and a Brahmin face. He has served as district in-charge of Surendranagar, has links with the RSS, and has previously held positions such as district general secretary and president of the Kadi municipality.
Mansingh Parmar, a young party leader from the Somnath region, is the nephew of OBC Morcha chief and former MLA Govind Parmar. He has also served as a former district president. Jitendra Kanjaria is the son of former Khambhalia MLA Meghji Kanjaria and belongs to the OBC community. Mukesh Rathwa has been active in the BJP Youth Morcha, serves as district general secretary in Chhota Udepur, and is known for his organizational ties and influence among tribal voters.
In Arunachal Pradesh, senior leader Tai Tagak has been chosen as the party’s candidate. In Manipur, the BJP has nominated state party president A. Sharda Devi, sending a strong political signal amid the state’s ongoing political and social tensions.
For Odisha, the BJP has announced Debashish Samantaray as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll. Samantaray is a well-known name in Odisha politics, and his nomination is expected to strengthen the BJP’s position in the state.
Overall, the candidate list highlights the BJP’s broader approach of combining experience, loyalty, and regional balance as it prepares for the Rajya Sabha contests and associated by-elections.
