The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh, with the line-up reflecting a mix of OBC, Dalit and upper-caste representation.
The election is scheduled for October 16. The party dropped all sitting MPs including Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma. The new list includes two Brahmin leaders, two Dalit candidates and three leaders from OBC communities. The party has also given a ticket to a Kshatriya leader, underlining the social balance behind its selection. The party has also given representation to three OBC leaders. Dharampal Singh is also a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, holding the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development portfolio. He represents the Aonla Assembly constituency in Bareilly. The selection gives the party five candidates from OBC and Dalit communities combined, while the remaining nominees include leaders from Brahmin and Kshatriya communities. The Samajwadi Party has traditionally promoted its PDA formula; Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak, or backward classes, Dalits and minorities. The BJP’s latest line-up appears aimed at presenting a different social coalition, centred on Pichhda, Dalit and Savarna backward classes, Dalits and upper castes. Chauhan is the Uttar Pradesh BJP’s state general secretary and in-charge of the party’s western region. One seat has fallen vacant following former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma’s resignation from the Rajya Sabha after his appointment as the lieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Earlier reporting noted: The much-awaited announcement came hours after BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh met chief minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence here. The meeting, which lasted one-and-a-half hours, came a day before the last date for filing nominations. Earlier reporting noted: The candidates are Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar. Earlier reporting noted: Seven BJP members—Arun Singh, BL Verma, Brijlal, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Geeta Shakya, Seema Dwivedi and Neeraj Shekhar—are among those whose terms are ending in November.
