The ruling BJP today named its candidates for the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections nominating former MP Sanjay Bhatia as a candidate from Haryana and party president Nitin Nabin from Bihar.Bhatia, a close aide of former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, has earlier been a Lok Sabha MP.His nomination stamps the continuing influence Khattar wields in Haryana BJP.The Tribune first broke the probability of Bhatia’s nomination in its Tuesday columns.Nabin’s candidature was expected after he was elevated as BJP chief.An MLA in Bihar assembly, Nitin Nabin will now enter Rajya Sabha for the first time.The BJP also nominated Shivesh Kumar as a second candidate from Bihar.From Chhattisgarh, the party has fielded Lakshmi Verma; from Odisha, Manmohan Samal and BJD ex-leader Sujit Kumar; and from West Bengal’s one seat, Rahul Sinha.The BJP is yet to name candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra where seven seats have fallen vacant.The BJP-led NDA will win six of these comfortably with the NCP naming late deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son Parth from its quota.