UP Rajya Sabha Polls: All 10 Candidates Set to Win Unopposed as BJP Fields 8, SP 2

Lucknow: All 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh are set to be filled unopposed after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded eight candidates and the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) restricted its nominations to two, eliminating the need for polling on October 16.

The Samajwadi Party dropped its plan to field a third candidate just ahead of the nomination deadline. By sticking to two nominees, SP cleared the path for an uncontested election, avoiding the cross-voting and backroom manoeuvring that have frequently marked close Rajya Sabha contests in the state.

The political developments follow the BJP Central Election Committee's release of its list of eight nominees. The party’s choices reflect a deliberate focus on organisational work, regional balance, and social representation. The BJP candidates are Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, and Shruti Gangwar.

Notable exclusions from the BJP list include sitting Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and former Union Minister B.L. Verma, whose terms in the Upper House are drawing to a close. The party's final selection includes three candidates from Other Backward Classes (OBC), two from Scheduled Castes (SC), two Brahmins, and one Thakur, with two women among the nominees.

On the opposition side, the Samajwadi Party finalised its roster by fielding veteran leader Ram Gopal Yadav alongside Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani.

In the 396-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, each candidate requires first-preference support from 36 MLAs to win. Based on current assembly strengths, the BJP comfortably possesses the votes to secure eight seats, while the SP holds sufficient numbers to guarantee two.

With exactly 10 candidates standing for the 10 vacancies, all nominees are expected to be formally declared elected unopposed following the completion of nomination scrutiny and withdrawal deadlines.

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