BJP drops Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and 7 other sitting MPs from UP Rajya Sabha poll list
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "BJP drops Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and 7 other sitting MPs from UP Rajya Sabha poll list")
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has been dropped from the Rajya Sabha candidates' list. Photograph: (X)
Elections are due on October 16 for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, and BJP, the ruling party in the state, is certain to win seven seats while it is also pushing for an eighth. The Samajwadi Party has named two candidates and is likely to field a third also.
In a major rejig, the BJP announced eight candidates for the coming Rajya Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh, while dropping all sitting MPs, including Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. With UP Assembly elections now few months away, the BJP chose to strike a balance between castes and indicating the possibility of an election on at least one seat on October 16.
Union Minister of State BL Verma has also been dropped, while the rumours of former Union Minister Smriti Irani having been picked proved to be false.
The BJP announced the names of state minister Dharampal Singh, lawyer Radhakant Ojha, State OBC Morcha president Prakash Pal, former MP Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, former MP Priyanka Singh Rawat, party state general secretary Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar’s daughter Shruti Gangwar.
BJP candidates to file nomination tomorrow for Oct 16 election
Elections are due on October 16 for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, and BJP, the ruling party in the state, is certain to win seven seats while it is also pushing for an eighth. The Samajwadi Party has already named two candidates and is likely to field a third also, claimed sources.
All eight candidates will file their nomination in Lucknow at 11.30 am on Tuesday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state party chief Pankaj Chaudhary will be present on the occasion.
“Heartfelt congratulations to all the esteemed candidates announced today. Infinite best wishes for the historic victory of each one of you,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a post on X.
BJP strikes caste and regional balance ahead of key state assembly election
The BJP has kept the upcoming state assembly polls in mind and has done a balancing act between the key castes and communities. It has fielded three candidates from the OBC category, 3 from General and two from the Scheduled Castes. The general category list includes two Brahmins and one Rajput.
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Minister Dharampal Singh belongs to the Lodh community, while Ramakant Ojha and Gopi Krishna Pandey represent the Brahmin community.
Prakash Pal is the president of the party’s OBC Morcha in UP, while Shruti Gangwar also belongs to the OBC community. Vidyasagar Sonkar and Priyanka Rawat are from the Dalit community, while Ram Singh Chauhan is a Thakur.
The BJP has also ensured regional balance, as Dharmpal Singh and Ram Pratap Chauhan are from the West UP and Braj regions, while Shruti Gangwar is from Rohilkhand.
Gopi Krishna Pandey and Vidyasagar Sonkar are from Purvanchal; Prakash Pal hails from Kanpur-Bundelkhand region, and Radhakant Ojha is from Prayagraj. Ojha is also the bar council head in Prayagraj.
On the basis of its numerical strength, the victory of all eight BJP candidates is considered certain. Similarly, the victory of two SP candidates, Ramgopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, is also assured.
Ten Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, eight of which are currently held by the BJP, while the SP and the BSP hold one each.
