Eight BJP, two SP candidates from UP elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

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All 10 Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh -- eight from the Bharatiya Janata Party and two from the Samajwadi Party -- were declared elected unopposed on Friday, an official said.

"All the 10 candidates who were in the fray for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections -- eight from the BJP and two from the SP -- have been declared elected unopposed," Returning Officer for the Rajya Sabha polls Ajit Verma told PTI.

"Except Samajwadi Party candidate Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, the rest of the winning candidates collected their certificates themselves, though SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BJP's Radhakant Ojha got them collected through their representatives," said Verma, who is also the Special Secretary of UP Vidhan Sabha.

The terms of 10 Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh end on November 25, necessitating the biennial elections to the Upper House.

UP minister Dharampal Singh, an OBC leader from the Lodh community and among the eight BJP picks to be elected unopposed, dedicated his Rajya Sabha win to former UP chief minister and his political guru, late Kalyan Singh, who also hailed from the same community.

Kalyan Singh’s another protege, Union minister BL Verma, also from the Lodh community in UP's Badaun, was not nominated for the Rajya Sabha seat this time. His term ends on November 25.

Dharampal's nomination was seen as the party’s attempt to replace a Lodh with another, both proteges of Kalyan Singh.

Symbolism was on display as Dharampal, after receiving his certificate, paid obeisance to Kalyan Singh's statue opposite the municipal corporation office.

"We will win 2027 UP polls to make it a hat-trick in UP," he said.

Other BJP candidates to win are the party's OBC wing chief Prakash Pal and Shruti Gangwar, who belong to the OBC category, and Vidya Sagar Sonkar and Priyanka Rawat, both from the SC category. The list also includes Radhakant Ojha and Gopi Krishna Pandey, from the Brahmin community, and Thakur leader Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, all of whom were unanimous that BJP picked candidates from different backgrounds and regions, reflecting the party's decision to "take everyone along."

Among the Rajya Sabha members retiring from the state are Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma, BJP leaders Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal and Seema Dwivedi, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP's Ramji Gautam.

The Rajya Sabha seat held by former UP deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma has been vacant since September 11, after he resigned following his appointment as the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party was expected to field a third candidate to force a contest for the 10th seat. However, party chief Akhilesh Yadav ended the speculation on Tuesday, the last day of the nomination, saying on X, "Now, our focus is not on three, but on 403."

Yadav was hinting at the state polls for the 403-member UP Assembly, which are due in early 2027.