Mumbai: In the latest lists for the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena have nominated key leaders.
BJP President JP Nadda is nominated from Gujarat, and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is nominated from Maharashtra. Shiv Sena has nominated Milind Deora from Maharashtra.
JP Nadda, currently a Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh, will contest from Gujarat due to the BJP's insufficient number of MLAs to win a seat in the Congress-ruled hill state.
Ashok Chavan, a recent entrant to the BJP, joined the party a day after resigning from the Congress, where he had been a member for 38 years. Milind Deora, formerly with the Congress, joined Shiv Sena on January 14, ending his family's 55-year association with the Congress.
The Rajya Sabha elections for 56 seats from 15 states are scheduled for February 27, with Uttar Pradesh having the highest number of seats at 10.
Other notable candidates include former Congress President Sonia Gandhi from Rajasthan and Union Ministers L Murugan and Ashwini Vaishnaw. Murugan will contest from Madhya Pradesh, while Vaishnaw has been nominated from Odisha.