BJP wants senior leaders to contest Lok Sabha polls, ministers who are RS MPs also in list

Party to try this after successfully fielding MPs in Assembly polls; may hold true especially for leaders who are in their third terms in RS

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda in Kolkata (PTI)

The BJP has conveyed to senior leaders of the party, particularly those who are now into their third term in the Rajya Sabha, that they will have to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections, to earn their place in Parliament. They include leaders who are currently serving as Cabinet ministers.

According to sources, the choice of the seat has been left to them.

“The decision was taken at an organisational meeting chaired by the party’s national leadership on Wednesday. Barring an exception or two, this will hold true for all,” a party source said.

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The leader gave the example of the recent Assembly elections, where the BJP fielded as many as 18 MPs, including four Union ministers, across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. “It gave very good results,” the leader said, adding: “At least two party stalwarts, including at least one incumbent Union minister, are expected to be fielded from Delhi.”

Central ministers who are Rajya Sabha MPs include Minister of State, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar; Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal; Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar; Minister of Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan; Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav; Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri; Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya; Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala; Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw; Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia; and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Minister Narayan Rane.

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Chandrasekhar and Sitharaman from Karnataka, in addition to Goyal from Maharashtra and Rupala from Gujarat, are among nine BJP leaders currently in their third Rajya Sabha terms. This list also includes former Union minister Prakash Javadekar.

BJP president J P Nadda is also a member of the Rajya Sabha, from Himachal Pradesh.

Jatin Anand

Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism. Expertise High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including: The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls. National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus. Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities. National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements. Academic Credentials: Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions. Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More