Lucknow, Oct 6 (PTI) Eight BJP candidates filed their nominations for Rajya Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, even as the opposition Samajwadi Party hinted that it may not force a contest in the October 16 biennial polls.
All BJP candidates filed their nominations before the poll returning officer, Ajeet Verma, in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders.
The candidates are three leaders from the OBC — UP minister Dharampal Singh (Lodh), OBC wing chief Prakash Pal (Pal), Shruti Gangwar (Kurmi); two from the Dalit community — Vidya Sagar Sonkar and Priyanka Rawat; and two from the Brahmin community — Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan (Thakur).
“All the candidates filed two sets of nomination papers, each accompanied by signatures of 10 lawmakers as proposers,” poll officer Ajit Verma told PTI.
Two Samajwadi Party candidates, veteran Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Industries executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, have already filed their nominations in Lucknow.
Though there were speculations of the Samajwadi Party fielding a third candidate to force a contest, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav put out a social media post to end the suspense.
“Now, our focus is not on three, but on 403,” Yadav said on X before leaving for New Delhi to participate in the opposition protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, the BJP was quick to react to SP’s move.
“The writing is clear. SP has conceded defeat for 2027 UP polls,” Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said.
Tuesday is the last day of filing nominations for 10 Rajya Sabha seats and barring a last-minute change in script, the stage seems set for all 10 candidates to be elected unopposed.
Earlier, all BJP candidates arrived at the party office opposite the Vidhan Sabha. After meeting senior leaders, including BJP’s UP in-charge Vinod Tawde, they left to file their nominations amid drum beats and a joyous atmosphere.
With its eight picks, including two women, the BJP has displayed a carefully crafted bouquet of caste and regional representation, reflecting that the names were finalised after much deliberation ahead of the 2027 UP polls.
“The selection of BJP candidates shows that only BJP truly respects PDA; SP’s PDA narrative is bogus, and 2027 UP polls will prove it,” BJP’s OBC chief Prakash Pal said after filing his nomination. PTI NAV MAN KSI
KSI
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.