Upendra Kushwaha declared the NDA candidates for the Rajya Sabha from Bihar.

Patna, March 3, 2026: Rashtriya Lok Morcha’s National President Upendra Kushwaha has been officially declared as the party’s candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

As a National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-backed nominee, Kushwaha will file his nomination in the Bihar Assembly on March 5.

The announcement was made through a press release issued by party state spokesperson Nitin Bharti, stating that the decision was taken after deliberations among the top leadership of the NDA. Leaders of all constituent parties of the alliance are expected to be present during the nomination filing.

Upendra Kushwaha met with Amit Shah:

Prior to the announcement, Kushwaha had returned from New Delhi after holding discussions with Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and senior BJP strategist. Sources indicate that the meeting focused on the strategy for the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar.

Upendra Kushwaha has contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Karakat parliamentary constituency but lost to Rajaram Singh Kushwaha of CPI-ML.

Independent candidate and actor Pawan Singh had secured the second position in that contest. Following the Lok Sabha election, Upendra Kushwaha was elected to the Rajya Sabha under the BJP quota, and his current tenure is set to end in April this year.

Other outgoing members:

Apart from Upendra Kushwaha, the Rajya Sabha members from Bihar whose terms are ending include Ramnath Thakur, Harivansh Narayan Singh, Prem Chand Gupta, and Amarendra Dhari Singh.

According to the current strength of the Bihar Assembly, the NDA has 202 MLAs, while 41 votes are required to win one Rajya Sabha seat. To secure all five seats, 205 votes would be necessary, making the fifth seat crucial and potentially competitive.

The opposition Grand Alliance has 35 MLAs. If it manages to secure support from five AIMIM MLAs and one Bahujan Samaj Party MLA, it could be in a position to win one seat.

Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar Ram as its candidates for two Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar.

The Janata Dal (United) (JD(U) has not yet officially announced its nominees. However, sources suggest that Ramnath Thakur may be denominated, while another seat could potentially go to Nishant Kumar, son of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. If confirmed, such a move could impact the prospects of outgoing Rajya Sabha member Harivansh Narayan Singh.

With nominations underway, political activity in Bihar is expected to intensify in the coming days as alliances firm up their final strategies.

Also Read: Upendra Kushwaha demands the renaming of Patna as Patliputra in the Rajya Sabha.

EOM.