UP Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP Files 8 Nominations as SP Signals No Contest
The BJP has filed nominations for eight Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, while Akhilesh Yadav’s latest message suggests the Samajwadi Party may not field a third candidate.
Eight BJP candidates filed their nominations for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders present in Lucknow. The BJP has fielded Dharampal Singh, Prakash Pal, Shruti Gangwar, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Priyanka Rawat, Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan.
The BJP’s list includes three OBC candidates, two Dalit candidates and three from other communities, including two women. The selections come ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and mark a change from the outgoing Rajya Sabha lineup, with several sitting members not being renominated.
The Samajwadi Party has already nominated Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani. Speculation had centred on whether the party would field a third candidate and force a contest for the 10th seat.
Akhilesh Yadav appeared to signal otherwise with his message that the party’s focus was “not on three, but on 403”, referring to the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Unless the SP changes its position, all 10 Rajya Sabha candidates are expected to be elected unopposed.
