Rajya Sabha Shake-Up: N Biren Singh to Exit Manipur Politics?

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As Sharad Pawar, Kharge and Deve Gowda Near Exit, a High-Stakes Upper House Reset Could Redraw India’s Political Power Map

By NIRENDRA DEV

New Delhi, December 25, 2025 — As India heads into a politically charged 2026, the spotlight is not only on high-voltage Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, but also on a quieter yet decisive contest — the Rajya Sabha elections for as many as 75 seats. This churn in the Upper House could subtly, but decisively, reshape India’s legislative and political balance.

The vacancies will fall across April, June and November 2026, cutting across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and several northeastern states. What makes this transition momentous is not just the numbers, but the names involved.

Among the stalwarts whose terms end are Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Digvijaya Singh, and Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Ramdas Athawale, Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurian.

Whether these veterans return or make way for a generational shift remains an open question — and a political test for both the NDA and the INDIA alliance.

Speculation is already rife within the BJP. One question doing the rounds in Delhi’s power corridors is whether the party could push former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to the Upper House, should circumstances demand a strategic redeployment. With no rigid state bar, the BJP retains flexibility to nominate leaders from outside their home states — a tactic it has used before.

In Bihar, five Rajya Sabha seats fall vacant on April 9. Given the post-Assembly arithmetic, the BJP and JD (U) are positioned to secure two seats each, leaving one for the opposition. The fate of leaders like Upendra Kushwaha remains uncertain. Newly appointed BJP working president Nitin Nabin is also seen as a potential Upper House entrant, possibly even from another state.

Maharashtra, too, will witness a critical battle for seven seats, with Sharad Pawar’s exit likely to have symbolic and strategic implications.

Currently, the NDA holds 129 seats in the Rajya Sabha against the opposition’s 78. The 2026 elections may not overturn this balance overnight, but they will decisively shape legislative strategy, leadership succession and alliance politics for years to come.