UP Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP Set for 8 Seats as SP Drops Third-Candidate Plan

The Samajwadi Party on Tuesday decided not to field a third candidate for the October 16 Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, clearing the way for the BJP-led alliance to seek eight of the 10 vacant seats unopposed.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said the party’s focus was “not on three, but on 403”, referring to the strength of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The party has nominated leader Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Industries executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani for the biennial polls.

The decision came a day after the SP said it would field a third candidate and names including former minister Arvind Singh Gope and party leader Rajpal Kashyap were discussed. It had purchased three nomination sets.

The BJP on Monday announced eight candidates Dharampal Singh, Shruti Gangwar, Prakash Pal, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan. The party dropped all its outgoing Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh, including Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and B L Verma.

The BJP nominees include three OBC leaders, two Dalit candidates, two Brahmins and one Thakur, with two women in the list.

The elections were necessitated by the expiry of the terms of 10 Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh. The seats include those held by Puri, Verma, BJP leaders Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal and Seema Dwivedi, SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP’s Ramji Gautam. The 10th vacancy arose after former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma resigned following his appointment as lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Under the election schedule, October 6 is the last date for filing nominations, followed by scrutiny on October 7. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 9, while polling, if required, will be held on October 16.

With the SP retaining two nominees and the BJP-led side fielding eight, the 10 seats are expected to be filled without polling, subject to completion of the nomination and scrutiny process.