Samajwadi Party drops third candidate plan in UP, all 10 Rajya Sabha seats likely to go unopposed

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has decided not to field a third candidate in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, paving the way for the BJP to secure eight of the 10 seats without a contest.

The decision was taken on Tuesday morning, a day before the nomination deadline, people familiar with the matter said. The SP had been weighing a third nomination after the BJP announced eight candidates on Monday.

With the SP opting out, all 10 seats are likely to be filled unopposed. The BJP is expected to win eight, while the SP will retain two.

SP to retain two seats

The SP has already nominated party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani. Both are expected to win based on the party’s strength in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

The decision against a third candidate was largely influenced by the numbers and the possibility of cross-voting. The Rajya Sabha election is conducted through an open ballot, under which legislators’ voting choices can be seen by authorised representatives of their respective parties.

With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due next year, the prospect of MLAs openly voting against their party’s candidate was seen as a potential concern within the BJP-led NDA.

Numbers behind the decision

A Rajya Sabha candidate needs 37 first-preference votes to win. The SP-led bloc has enough support to elect two candidates but would have required backing from outside its alliance to secure a third seat.

The BJP, on the other hand, had the numbers to win seven seats comfortably and was seeking additional support to take the eighth.

The possibility of cross-voting had therefore become a key factor in the calculations of both camps. The BJP and SP were closely monitoring each other’s moves ahead of the nomination deadline, particularly over whether either side would attempt to force a contest.

The SP’s decision now removes the possibility of a 10-seat contest, with the BJP and SP set to divide the seats eight and two respectively, subject to the completion of the election process.