RS bypolls: BJP fields Union ministers Bittu from Raj, Kurian from MP

The BJP Tuesday announced nine candidates for the September 3 Rajya Sabha bypolls, fielding Union ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan and George Kurian from Madhya Pradesh.

The party fielded former BJD leader Mamata Mohanta from Odisha and ex-Congress leader Kiran Choudhary from Haryana. Both these leaders joined the BJP recently.

According to a list of nine candidates released by the BJP, Manan Kumar Mishra will contest the bypolls from Bihar, Dhairyashil Patil from Maharashtra and Rajib Bhattacharjee from Tripura.

Bhattacharjee is the president of the BJP's Tripura unit.

The ruling party has fielded Mission Ranjan Das and former Union minister Rameswar Teli as its candidates from Assam.

Elections to 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3.

Ten of these seats fell vacant as the sitting members, including Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia, were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Bypolls are also being held for two seats in Telangana and Odisha.