BJP Names Eight Candidates for Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday announced eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, including two women nominees. Former Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and Shruti Gangwar, who is Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar's daughter and a prominent state party member, made the list alongside Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, whose term in the Upper House is ending, was left off the list. According to party insiders, his omission points to an impending shakeup in the Central Council of Ministers. Ten seats are opening up in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP currently holding eight of them, while the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party hold one seat each.

Election Schedule

The notification for this final stage of the Rajya Sabha polls was issued on September 29, 2026. The last date to file nominations is October 6, 2026, with scrutiny set for October 7 and the final date for withdrawal on October 9, 2026. Voting will take place on October 16, 2026.

Context

Rajya Sabha elections follow a routine six-year cycle where members of the Upper House complete their terms and state legislators elect new representatives. Uttar Pradesh remains a politically crucial state due to its large share of lawmakers in the electoral college.