New Delhi: The fight for UP’s 10 Rajya Sabha seats is heating up ahead of October 16. Standing along with Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, the Samajwadi Party (SP) officially locked in its top nominees – party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Group President Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani.
Its Uttar Pradesh unit has sent a panel of 25 names to the central leadership for consideration. The BJP has not so far announced its final list of candidates. It has the numbers to win the two seats with Congress support. A third SP candidate would need support from MLAs outside the alliance. Names such as Smriti Irani, Hardeep Singh Puri and Kumar Vishwas have appeared in reports about the shortlist.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 403 seats. The BJP has 257 MLAs, while the SP has 102. The Apna Dal has 13 MLAs, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) 9, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) 6 and the Nishad Party 5. The quota for one Rajya Sabha seat is 37 votes under the present effective strength. The four MLAs won their assembly seats as SBSP candidates in the 2022 election when the party was allied with the SP. Ram Gopal has been a Rajya Sabha member since 2004 and is the party’s national general secretary.
The Bharaatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance therefore has the numbers for eight seats based on its present strength.
The SP is seeking support from the four SBSP MLAs for the Rajya Sabha election, according to the Hindustan Times. The four MLAs have been in contact with the party leadership, the report said. Party spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury earlier said, “We will declare a third candidate also.”
Three constituencies are vacant at present. The Jan Satta Dal Loktantrik has two MLAs and the Congress has two. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has one MLA, while three former SP members are listed as unattached. The SP and the Congress together have enough votes for two seats. Nathwani is Group President of Reliance Industries and also holds senior positions in other Reliance group companies. He is also president of the Gujarat Cricket Association and the Gujarat State Football Association. SP leaders have kept the possibility of a third candidate open.
