Chandigarh, Mar 3 (PTI) The BJP on Tuesday announced that it has nominated its former MP from Karnal, Sanjay Bhatia, for the Rajya Sabha poll from Haryana.
Earlier, sources had said the 58-year-old leader’s name was among the probables, which included former Haryana minister Capt Abhimanyu and senior party leaders Kuldeep Bishnoi and Sunita Duggal.
In 2024, Bhatia, who was the sitting Karnal MP, made way for former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar — fielded by the party from the parliamentary seat.
Khattar was named BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate on March 13, 2024, after he quit as the chief minister in a major shake-up in the state leadership by the party. The sitting MP from Karnal now and a Union minister, he was replaced as the chief minister by Nayab Singh Saini.
Bhatia is considered close to Khattar.
From Haryana, two Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant ahead of the upcoming polls.
BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra will complete their terms on April 9.
According to the Election Commission’s poll schedule, 37 Rajya Sabha seats fall vacant on April 2 and 9, from 10 states, including Haryana, Maharashtra, Himachal, and Tamil Nadu.
Notifications for the polls were issued on February 26. Polling, if necessary, will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, and votes will be counted from 5 pm the same day.
The last date of filing nomination is March 5. Scrutiny of nominations will be held on March 6, while the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is March 9.
The ECI has directed that only an integrated violet colour sketch pen of pre-fixed specification, provided by the returning officer, shall be used for the purpose of marking preference on the ballot paper.
In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, Congress 37, the INLD has two, while three Independents support the ruling party. Thirty-one votes each are required for the two candidates to make it to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.
In August 2024, Kiran Choudhry, a former minister, was elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana. She had joined the BJP ahead of the October 2024 assembly elections after quitting the Congress.
The bypoll was necessitated after the Congress’ Deepender Singh Hooda was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak. His Rajya Sabha term was to end on April 9, 2026. PTI SUN PRK
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