BJP names 8 candidates for UP Rajya Sabha polls, drops Hardeep Puri, BL Verma

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh, with the party dropping all its sitting MPs from the state, including Union ministers Hardeep Puri and BL Verma.

The biennial elections for 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal are scheduled to be held on October 16. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 10 of the vacancies, with the BJP in a strong position to secure eight seats.

BJP's eight nominees

The BJP has fielded a mix of experienced political figures and leaders representing different social groups.

The candidates are Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.

Dharampal Singh, an OBC leader and the animal husbandry minister in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's cabinet, is among the prominent names in the list.

Radhakant Ojha, who heads the bar council in Prayagraj, has also been picked by the party.

Former MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and Shruti Gangwar are the two women candidates in the list.

Social representation in focus

The BJP's selection also reflects an effort to include leaders from different communities.

Besides Dharampal Singh, Prakash Pal and Shruti Gangwar are the other OBC faces in the list. Vidyasagar Sonkar and Priyanka Singh Rawat belong to the Scheduled Caste community.

The two Brahmin faces are Gopi Krishna Pandey and Radhakant Ojha, while Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan represents the Thakur community.

Hardeep Puri, BL Verma not renominated

The most notable aspect of the announcement is the absence of all sitting BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from the new list.

Union ministers Hardeep Puri and BL Verma, who are among the sitting MPs whose terms are ending, have not been renominated from Uttar Pradesh.

With eight candidates announced for the 10 vacancies, the BJP is expected to comfortably secure all eight seats based on its strength in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

The remaining two seats are expected to be contested by other parties, making the BJP's candidate selection significant ahead of the October 16 polling.