T
he Indian National Congress (INC) has released a list of seven candidates for the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections, with nominees from a total of five states.
These are the five states from which the Congress has fielded its candidates for the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections.
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand.
Among them, Karnataka has the highest number of candidates, with a total of three nominees.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, and Mansoor Ali Khan are the Congress candidates from Karnataka.
Meanwhile, Congress has fielded one candidate from Madhya Pradesh — Meenakshi Natarajan.
As for the third state, Rajasthan, the Congress has nominated Neeraj Dangi as its candidate.
Meanwhile, the Congress has selected Praveen Chakravarty as its candidate for the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu.
Pranav Jha has been nominated as the Congress candidate from Jharkhand for the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections.
Among all the nominees, Pawan Khera is drawing the most attention. He remained in the spotlight during the recent Assam election campaign after making several serious allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife, which brought him significant media attention.
Many party supporters believe that Pawan Khera has consistently been at the forefront in defending the Congress's position, and view his nomination as recognition of his efforts.
Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections is scheduled to take place on June 18, 2026. Here are some of the key dates related to the election process.
Last date for filing nominations: June 8, 2026 (until 3:00 PM)
Last date for withdrawal of candidature: June 11, 2026.
Date and time of voting: June 18, 2026 (from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM)
Counting of votes (results): June 18, 2026 (from 5:00 PM onwards)
With this, it will become clear on June 18 which of these seven candidates will secure a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Mallikarjun Kharge is currently the National President of the Indian National Congress (INC).
He is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament).
He is a very senior leader from Karnataka and an influential Dalit politician. He has been active in politics for more than five decades.
Pawan Khera is one of the senior leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC) and currently serves as the party's National Spokesperson.
Pawan Khera is the Chairman of the Congress Media and Publicity Department.
He previously served as Political Advisor and OSD to former Delhi Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit and is often seen representing the Congress party's views in the media.
He is regarded as a prominent Muslim and youth leader within the Karnataka Congress.
He is the son of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader K. Rahman Khan.
Mansoor Ali Khan inherited his political legacy from his father and is considered to be very close to Rahul Gandhi.
She has previously served as the Lok Sabha MP from the Mandsaur constituency in Madhya Pradesh and is regarded as a strong orator who effectively presents the Congress party's views in the media.
Before this, she served as the National President of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Indian Youth Congress.
She is considered one of the prominent Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh and is also regarded as a member of Rahul Gandhi's core team.
He had also served as a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan before 2020. This time, the Congress has once again nominated him as its candidate from Rajasthan.
He is a prominent Scheduled Caste leader in the Rajasthan Congress and is considered to be very close to former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
He has also served as the President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Youth Congress.
He currently serves as the Chairman of the Congress party's Data & Analytics Department.
He is considered to be very close to Rahul Gandhi and has previously served as a Policy Advisor.
Before entering politics, he worked as an investment banker.
He plays a key role in drafting the Congress party's election manifestos.
He is currently serving as a Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
He has been working for a long time in the Congress party’s National Communication and Media Department.
He has worked in coordination with the office of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
