NEW DELHI, OCT 5 (PTI): The BJP on Monday named eight candidates for the October 16 Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, dropping Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and B L Verma, along with other retiring members.
The candidates are UP minister Dharampal Singh, Shruti Gangwar, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan.
BJP sources said the list balances social, regional and caste equations. Three candidates are from upper castes, three from OBCs and two from Scheduled Castes; two are women.
The elections cover 10 UP seats, one Uttarakhand seat and a West Bengal bypoll. The terms of UP and Uttarakhand members end on November 25.
The BJP candidates will file nominations Tuesday, the last day. The SP has named Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, while BJP’s eight candidates bring the total nominees to 10.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026