LUCKNOW: All 10 Rajya Sabha candidates from UP, eight from BJP and two from Samajwadi Party, were declared elected unopposed on Friday, the last day of withdrawal of nomination papers.The certificates of election were issued to nine candidates, while SP’s Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani will take on October 12.The eight BJP candidates who will reach the upper house of Parliament include Uttar Pradesh minister Dharampal Singh, party OBC wing chief Prakash Pal, Shruti Gangwar, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan.Likewise, SP managed to get its national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and Nathwani to sail through to the Rajya Sabha easily. SP had, though, hinted at fielding a third candidate and forcing a contest for the tenth seat.However, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav ended the speculation, saying in a post on X, “Now, our focus is not on three, but on 403.”The biennial elections were necessitated by the terms of 10 Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh ending on November 25.BJP has fielded an entirely new set of candidates, with none of its eight outgoing Rajya Sabha members from the state, including Union ministers Hardeep Puri and BL Verma, getting renominated.The move suggested that the party sought to look beyond continuity and use its parliamentary nominations to accommodate a fresh set of political representatives.The move, experts said, also created a space for leaders with organisational, social and regional credentials at a time, even as the party prepares for 2027 assembly elections.Newly elected unopposed RS MP Prakash Pal expressed his gratitude to the top leadership. Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party, he remarked that those who boasted about securing three seats fled to Delhi.He questioned why they did not field a third candidate if—as they claimed—Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs were in contact with them.Pal said that both Congress and SP are engaged in the politics of appeasement, which is why they did not visit Ram Mandir.Shruti Gangwar too expressed gratitude, saying: “I am deeply grateful to the party, the central leadership and the state leadership for placing such great trust in me. The responsibility and trust have been placed not just in me, but in half of our country’s population. I will work to fulfil this responsibility with complete sincerity, dedication and commitment.”
