Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) has sprung a surprise ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, naming Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) group president Dhanraj Nathwani as one of its candidates for the Upper House from Uttar Pradesh.
The party announced his candidature Wednesday and Nathwani filed his nomination papers later the same day. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was among those present.
The decision to field Nathwani, originally from Gujarat, came as a surprise, as the party was expected to nominate one of its own leaders to the Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party has also decided to nominate senior leader and Yadav family member Ram Gopal Yadav for another Rajya Sabha term. The younger brother of party founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Gopal is seen as a key strategist and the party’s voice in the Upper House.
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Who is Dhanraj Nathwani
Apart from being group president at RIL, 40-year-old Dhanraj Nathwani has also been associated with sports administration in Gujarat. He is president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, having succeeded Amit Shah in 2022. He earlier served as GCA vice-president.
Nathwani is the son of Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Parimal Nathwani, who is also associated with RIL.
Parimal Nathwani was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand as an Independent candidate with the backing of the BJP in 2008. He was re-elected for a second term in 2014, then again in 2020 from the YSRCP quota.
In 2024, he returned to the Upper House for a fourth term as an independent after defeating Congress candidate Pranav Jha, a close aide of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. While the numbers were considered favourable to the Congress-JMM alliance, Nathwani secured the required votes with the support of not only BJP MLAs but also others, including RJD and Independent legislators, according to people familiar with the election.
Sources in the Samajwadi Party told ThePrint that Dhanraj Nathwani met Akhilesh Yadav in Delhi a few months ago and has remained in touch with the party’s top leadership since.
Party insiders said Nathwani’s entry could also help the Samajwadi Party secure a third Rajya Sabha seat in the upcoming elections, as the party would need the support of 10 additional MLAs beyond its current strength to win a third seat.
The arithmetic
The nomination process for the biennial elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh began Tuesday. The SP announced the names of its two candidates Wednesday.
According to sources, eight nomination forms were taken on behalf of the BJP and four on behalf of the SP, but the SP is likely to field three candidates. The party is expected to announce its third candidate in the coming days.
For a Rajya Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, a candidate needs 37 votes. Of the 403 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, six are currently vacant, leaving 397 sitting MLAs.
The NDA has 289 MLAs, the BJP 256, Apna Dal (S) 13, RLD nine, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) six, and Nishad Party five.
On the Opposition side, the Samajwadi Party has 101 MLAs and the Congress two. Raghuraj Pratap Singh’s Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) has two MLAs, while three MLAs belong to other parties.
With 101 MLAs, the Samajwadi Party has 27 votes more than the 74 votes needed to elect two candidates. To get a third SP-backed candidate elected, the party would, therefore, need 10 additional votes.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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So even Akhilesh and his SP get funding from Reliance.
The Ambanis seem to have purchased all political leaders and political parties.
Poor Rahul Gandhi – one cannot but feel for him.