January 20, 2026 12:33 PM IST
First published on: Jan 20, 2026 at 11:59 AM IST
New BJP national president Nitin Nabin could be one of the party’s new faces in the Rajya Sabha, where several vacancies will crop up through this year, party insiders have said.
While sources indicated that the 45-year-old “for the time being” would most likely remain out of the Union Cabinet, which is due for a reshuffle, he could be moved to Parliament in line with his “new stature”. He has already been allotted an official residence in Lutyens Delhi.
“Given the party’s constitutional requirement of one person, one post — which was adhered to by Jagat Prakash Nadda ji for the majority of his tenure — Nitin ji will likely be brought into the Rajya Sabha, which will see many vacancies this year,” said a BJP leader.
“While there is no vacancy arising on an RS seat from his home state of Bihar, there is actually one in neighbouring Jharkhand, where he was born (in Ranchi); current BJP MP Deepak Prakash is due to retire in late June. In any case, he can be sent to the Upper House from any state that the party’s national leadership deems fit,” the leader said.
After taking over as BJP president, the first big meeting between Nabin, a five-time Bihar MLA, and the party’s national leaders is likely to be a gathering of national office-bearers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other members of the BJP Parliamentary Board are expected to be present at this meeting on Wednesday.
“Nitin ji is likely to helm a meeting of the national office bearers on January 21; after this, he will also likely chair a meeting of the BJP’s Parliamentary Party on the eve of the upcoming Budget Session, as is customary, on January 27,” said a party leader.
As many as 71 Rajya Sabha MPs, including 30 from the BJP, are due to retire this year. Among the BJP MPs, eight are from Uttar Pradesh, three from Gujarat, and two each from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, and Haryana. Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Manipur will each have one Rajya Sabha seat falling vacant. Two significant vacancies in the Upper House, BJP insiders said, would be those of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BJP national secretary Arun Singh, who represent UP.
