Nagpur: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has designated Central Observers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar, Haryana, and Odisha. Nitin Nabin, the National President of the BJP, made the announcement on March 9.
In Odisha, Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule took the role of observer for Rajya Sabha polls. In Bihar, the party selected Chhattisgarh’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma and Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra as observers. For Haryana, Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi was appointed.
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Mar 9, 2026 - Time 11.45Hrs
Election schedule
The biennial elections for the Rajya Sabha, which will fill 37 seats across ten states, are set to occur on March 16. The counting of votes will also take place the same day at 5 pm. The current term of the 37 members, who hail from states including Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana, will conclude in April, necessitating elections for their replacements.
The last date for submitting nominations was March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. Candidates had until March 9 to withdraw their nominations. In Odisha, elections will be held for four seats that will become vacant in April. The BJP’s Odisha chief Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar have already submitted nominations for two of these seats. Additionally, five seats are set for polling in Bihar, where the nomination of the incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has stirred political discussions.
Initially, leaders of the Janata Dal (United) expressed opposition to Nitish Kumar’s decision to contest for a Rajya Sabha seat. However, they later came to terms with the decision. Bihar Minister Shravan Kumar remarked that JD(U) workers were discontent with the Chief Minister’s move but have resolved to support him moving forward. According to Kumar, Nitish Kumar addressed his decision with party leaders in a meeting to clarify his intentions.
In addition to these developments, BJP President Nitin Nabin is also a candidate representing the party in Bihar’s Rajya Sabha elections. Polling will also occur for two Upper House seats in Haryana, continuing the party’s strategic push in these regions as they prepare for the elections.
