Amit Shah to Visit Patna Amid BJP's Rajya Sabha Candidate Nominations

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit Patna on Thursday to attend the nomination filings of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Nitin Nabin as its candidate from Bihar, sources said. The visit follows the release of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) first list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, which clears nine names across six states. According to an official press release, the announcement was made by the party's Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters. From Bihar, the party has selected BJP National President Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar. In Assam, Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan have been nominated, while Laxmi Verma will contest from Chhattisgarh. Haryana's candidate is Sanjay Bhatia. Odisha will see Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar representing the party, and Rahul Sinha has been chosen from West Bengal. Earlier today, in Maharashtra, the BJP announced four candidates for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections, announcing the names of Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde, among 2 others. The Republican Party of India chief and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale is set for another term in the Upper House, whereas BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde is looking to enter the Rajya Sabha for the first time. Ramrao Wadkute and Maya Chitaman Ivnate are also selected as candidates. Also Watch: Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that polling for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections will be held on March 16, with vote counting the same day at 5 pm and the process concluding by March 20. The elections will fill 37 seats across 10 states - Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana - whose members' terms end in April 2026. The notification was issued on February 26, commencing the election process, while the last date for nominations is March 5, scrutiny on March 6, and withdrawal by March 9. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)