BJP’s list of 8 for Rajya Sabha poll: 2 women candidates, 1 big name dropped - The Indian Express
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday announced its eight picks for the October 16 Rajya Sabha poll in Uttar Pradesh, fielding two women candidates.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, whose term in the Upper House is at an end, was not on the list of nominees, which party insiders indicated shows the Central Council of Ministers is due for a shakeup.
Former Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and Shruti Gangwar, Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar’s daughter and a prominent member of the Uttar Pradesh BJP, were among the party’s nominees in the politically important state.
Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan were the others.
Ten Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, eight of which are currently held by the BJP, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) hold one each.
Currently, the BJP-led NDA holds 150 seats in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, while non-NDA parties account for just over 100 seats.
The UP Assembly currently has 396 members in the 403-member House, following the death of seven MLAs in the past 11 months. Each Rajya Sabha candidate, therefore, will require 37 first-preference votes to win. The October 16 polls is going to be a tough contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP). The BJP and SP have the numbers to win seven and two seats respectively out of the 10 at stake.
The timing of the polls adds to the intrigue as they come months before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections likely to be held early next year.
The BJP has 255 MLAs and its NDA allies add another 33: Apna Dal (S) 13, RLD 9, SBSP 6, and NISHAD Party 5. This takes its tally to 288.
With the support of Puja Pal; unaffiliated MLAs Manoj Pandey, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Abhay Singh who were expelled from the SP in June 2025 for cross-voting in the 2024 Rajya Sabha polls; and two MLAs of the Raja Bhaiyya-led Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik), the NDA’s effective strength reaches 294, two short of the required 296 (37 for each) first-preference votes to ensure victory of eight candidates. Of the 10 seats that will go to polls, the BJP holds eight at present.
Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 17 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism. Expertise High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including: The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls. National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus. Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities. National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements. Academic Credentials: Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions. Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More
