The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday announced its eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections in Uttar Pradesh, leaving out Union Minister Hardeep Puri and every other outgoing party nominee from the state. The list, cleared by the party's Central Election Committee and issued by BJP National Headquarters in-charge Tarun Chugh, signals a complete reset of the party's Upper House bench from Uttar Pradesh.
The eight nominees are Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.
The social arithmetic
The candidate list keeps the party's caste-and-gender balancing act firmly in view. It includes three OBC leaders (Dharampal Singh, Prakash Pal and Shruti Gangwar), two from the Scheduled Castes (Vidyasagar Sonkar and Priyanka Singh Rawat), two Brahmins (Radhakant Ojha and Gopi Krishna Pandey) and one Rajput (Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan). Two of the eight nominees are women.
The full slate of outgoing MPs misses out
What stands out most is who is not on the list. None of the BJP's eight outgoing Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh were renominated — not just Hardeep Puri, whose term ends in November, but also Union Minister of State BL Verma, Arun Singh, Brij Lal, Seema Dwivedi, Neeraj Shekhar, Geeta Shakya and former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma.
The numbers game
Ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh go to the polls on October 16, with vacancies arising in November. The BJP's strength in the state assembly assures it of seven seats, and the party is pushing for an eighth. The Samajwadi Party has so far named two candidates — Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani — and may field a third.
The nominations will be filed in Lucknow at 11:30 am on Tuesday, October 6, in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary. October 6 is the last date for filing nominations, scrutiny takes place on October 7, the withdrawal deadline is October 9, and polling will be held on October 16 if required.
The announcement has already set off speculation in political circles. NDTV reported that the omissions point to a possible reshuffle in the Union Cabinet and a possible contest on at least one seat, while The Statesman reported speculation that Puri may resign from the government soon given that his Rajya Sabha term is ending. Both reports frame these as speculation, not confirmed developments.
Sources: BJP Nominates 8 Leaders To Rajya Sabha From UP, Hardeep Puri Not On List; Hardeep Puri left out as BJP announces 8 Rajya Sabha candidates for Uttar Pradesh
The eight nominees are Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.
The social arithmetic
The candidate list keeps the party's caste-and-gender balancing act firmly in view. It includes three OBC leaders (Dharampal Singh, Prakash Pal and Shruti Gangwar), two from the Scheduled Castes (Vidyasagar Sonkar and Priyanka Singh Rawat), two Brahmins (Radhakant Ojha and Gopi Krishna Pandey) and one Rajput (Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan). Two of the eight nominees are women.
The full slate of outgoing MPs misses out
What stands out most is who is not on the list. None of the BJP's eight outgoing Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh were renominated — not just Hardeep Puri, whose term ends in November, but also Union Minister of State BL Verma, Arun Singh, Brij Lal, Seema Dwivedi, Neeraj Shekhar, Geeta Shakya and former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma.
The numbers game
Ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh go to the polls on October 16, with vacancies arising in November. The BJP's strength in the state assembly assures it of seven seats, and the party is pushing for an eighth. The Samajwadi Party has so far named two candidates — Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani — and may field a third.
The nominations will be filed in Lucknow at 11:30 am on Tuesday, October 6, in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary. October 6 is the last date for filing nominations, scrutiny takes place on October 7, the withdrawal deadline is October 9, and polling will be held on October 16 if required.
The announcement has already set off speculation in political circles. NDTV reported that the omissions point to a possible reshuffle in the Union Cabinet and a possible contest on at least one seat, while The Statesman reported speculation that Puri may resign from the government soon given that his Rajya Sabha term is ending. Both reports frame these as speculation, not confirmed developments.
Sources: BJP Nominates 8 Leaders To Rajya Sabha From UP, Hardeep Puri Not On List; Hardeep Puri left out as BJP announces 8 Rajya Sabha candidates for Uttar Pradesh
