BJP's Unexpected Rajya Sabha Roster for UP
A surprising move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw the omission of Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and B.L. Verma, along with six other sitting Members of Parliament, from its Rajya Sabha nominations in Uttar Pradesh. The party instead announced eight new candidates for the upcoming elections, signaling a strategic shift ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
Key Figures Dropped
Among the prominent names not retained were Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and B.L. Verma. Other sitting MPs who did not feature on the new list include Arun Singh, Seema Dwivedi, Neeraj Shekhar, Brij Lal, and Geeta Shakya. Dinesh Sharma, who previously held a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, has since been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
New Faces and Strategic Selections
The BJP's new slate of candidates for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh includes:
- Dharampal Singh
- Radhakant Ojha
- Prakash Pal
- Vidyasagar Sonkar
- Gopi Krishna Pandey
- Priyanka Singh Rawat
- Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan
- Shruti Gangwar
This selection reflects a deliberate strategy balancing caste representation with organizational experience. The list comprises three OBC (Other Backward Classes) candidates, two Scheduled Caste candidates, and three upper-caste nominees. Notably, two women have also been included.
Candidate Profiles and Backgrounds
Among the OBC candidates, Prakash Pal, president of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh OBC Morcha, has a strong organizational background, having led the Kanpur-Bundelkhand region. The upper-caste nominees include two Brahmins and one Rajput.
Vidyasagar Sonkar, a Dalit leader from Jaunpur, brings legislative experience as a former MP and MLC, and has served as Deputy Leader in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and as a BJP state general secretary.
The two women nominees are Priyanka Singh Rawat, a former Barabanki MP who won her Lok Sabha seat in 2014 against Congress veteran P.L. Punia, and Shruti Gangwar, daughter of Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar. Ms. Gangwar, an IIT graduate, chairs the Urban Co-operative Bank in Bareilly.
Other notable candidates include Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, a BJP state general secretary and Western Uttar Pradesh region in-charge, and Radhakant Ojha, a senior advocate at the Allahabad High Court who has twice been elected president of its Bar Association. Gopi Krishna Pandey is recognized for his extensive grassroots organizational work.
Upcoming Elections and Political Implications
Polling for these 10 Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled for October 16. Given the current strength of political parties in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the BJP is widely expected to secure eight of these seats, with the Samajwadi Party projected to win the remaining two. This carefully curated list is seen as a foundational step for the BJP in preparation for the crucial 2027 Assembly elections.