New Delhi, Mar 18 (IANS): The BJP on Friday announced four candidates for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from different states and for the by-polls for the Lok Sabha and the assemblies from West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra. The BJP has fielded Agnimitra Paul for the Lok Sabha by-polls from Asansol in West Bengal against TMC candidate and former union minister Shatrughan Sinha. Paul is the MLA from Asansol South assembly constituency and general secretary of the West Bengal BJP.

The BJP has fielded Keya Ghosh from Ballygunge assembly constituency for the by-polls against former union minister Babul Supriyo. For the Rajya Sabha biennial polls the BJP has given tickets to Pabitra Margherita from Assam, Dr Sikandra Kumar from Himachal Pradesh, S. Phangnon Konyak from Nagaland and Dr Manik Saha from Tripura.

In a statement BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said, "The BJP Central Election Committee has approved the following names for biennial polls of Rajya Sabha."

From Bochahan assembly constituency in Bihar, the BJP has given the ticket to Beby Kumari for the by-polls. From Kolhapur North assembly seat, the BJP has nominated Satyajit (Nana) Shivajirao Kadam as its party candidate.

Polling for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls will be held on March 31 and counting of votes will take place after the end of voting on the same day. Polling will be held on April 12 for one parliamentary constituency Asansol and one assembly constituency each in West Bengal (Ballygunge), Chhattisgarh (Khairagarh), Bihar (Bochahan) and Maharashtra (Kolhapur North) and counting of votes will take place on April 16.