Two controversial men as BJP RS nominees

Party general secretaries Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan are also among the candidates nominated by the BJP.

Kulaste, an accused in the cash-for-vote scam who was among the three lawmakers who had waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha during the 2008 trust vote, has been fielded from Madhya Pradesh along with Najma Heptullah, Kaptan Singh Solanki and Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Sancheti, a close associate of BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, has been nominated from Chhattisgarh.

Party Vice President Vinay Katiyar, associated with the Ram Janambhoomi movement and former BJP Uttar Pradesh unit President, gets another term from the state.

Jaitley will contest for another term on a BJP ticket from Gujarat while Nadda has been given the ticket from Himachal Pradesh. Prasad and Pradhan will get his fourth term in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar.

While 12 names were announced after a meeting of the party Central Election Committee, Gadkari has been authorised to decide on the remaining six vacancies.