Politics

BJP Names 8 Candidates for Rajya Sabha Biennial Polls in Uttar Pradesh, Drops Two Union Ministers

BJP has named 8 candidates for UP's Rajya Sabha biennial polls, leaving out ministers Hardeep Puri and B.L. Verma

October 5, 2026

WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT: BJP's UP Rajya Sabha List Decoded

Elections cover 11 Rajya Sabha seats across UP, Uttarakhand and a West Bengal by-election, with polling on October 16

The BJP on Monday approved eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial election in Uttar Pradesh, notably leaving out Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and B.L. Verma, both of whom are retiring from the Upper House this term.

The party’s approved candidates are Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar. The list was announced by Tarun Chugh, Rajya Sabha MP and the party’s National Headquarters In-charge.

The seats up for election

The Election Commission of India has scheduled biennial elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats in total — 10 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand — all falling vacant in November as sitting members retire. A separate by-election will be held for a casual vacancy from West Bengal, created by the resignation of TMC MP Rukmini Mallik.

The Uttar Pradesh members retiring include Union Minister Hardeep Puri, Arun Singh, Brijlal, B.L. Verma, Ram Gopal Yadav, Neerja Shekhar, Geeta alias Chandraprabha, Ramji, Seema and Dr Dinesh Sharma. Naresh Bansal is the sole retiring member from Uttarakhand.

Other candidates named

A day earlier, on October 4, the BJP had named Dinesh Arya as its candidate for the Uttarakhand seat and Rukmini Mallick — also known as Koel Mallick — as its candidate for the West Bengal by-election. On the opposition side, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Professor Ramgopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani as its two candidates for the Uttar Pradesh seats.

Election timeline

The last date for filing nominations is October 6, with scrutiny of papers set for October 7 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures on October 9. Polling will take place on October 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting on the same day.

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