BJP Announces 8 Rajya Sabha Candidates, Hardeep Puri Dropped

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced eight candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, scheduled for October 16. The party has fielded Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar. The list includes two women candidates, Priyanka Singh Rawat and Shruti Gangwar.

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Hardeep Singh Puri Dropped From BJP List

Former Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Singh Rawat is among the BJP’s nominees from Uttar Pradesh. Shruti Gangwar, daughter of Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, has also received a ticket. The BJP has included several prominent party leaders in its list. The nominations come ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections in the politically significant state.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has not been renominated for the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. His current term in the Upper House is coming to an end. The BJP has also not included Union Minister BL Verma in its latest list. The decision has triggered speculation within party circles about possible changes in the Union Council of Ministers.

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BJP Announces 8 Rajya Sabha Candidates in Uttar Pradesh

Ten Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP currently holding eight of them. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) hold one seat each. The BJP and its NDA allies currently have a strong presence in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, giving the party the numbers to target several seats.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly currently has 396 members after seven MLAs died during the past 11 months. Each Rajya Sabha candidate needs 37 first-preference votes to secure a seat. The BJP has 255 MLAs, while its NDA allies have 33 members. With support from some unaffiliated and expelled SP MLAs and two Jansatta Dal MLAs, the NDA’s effective strength reaches 294.

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