LUCKNOW: With neither the BJP nor the Samajwadi Party fielding an additional candidate, all 10 candidates (eight from the BJP and two from the SP) are set to be elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh.
Despite speculation, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav decided against fielding an additional candidate on the last day of nominations on Tuesday, effectively ruling out a contest. The BJP is poised to secure all eight seats, while the SP is set to retain its two seats.
The formal declaration of results will come after scrutiny of nominations and the conclusion of the withdrawal process on October 9. If no candidate withdraws, all 10 nominees will be declared elected unopposed.
The eight BJP candidates are Dharampal Singh, Prakash Pal, Shruti Gangwar, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Radha Kant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan. The SP candidates are party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Industries executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani.
The absence of a BJP-SP contest is politically significant as the Rajya Sabha polls were projected as one of the first major electoral tests ahead of the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due early next year.
Political observers said a contest could have triggered a complex numbers game. With the BJP and its allies enjoying a comfortable majority in the state Assembly, the ruling alliance is well placed to win eight seats.
An SP bid to field a third candidate would have required support from other parties or reliance on cross-voting and strategic voting, while also risking fault lines within the Opposition camp.
Sources said the SP had considered fielding a third candidate and had completed preparations, but decided against the move after assessing the numbers and the possibility of cross-voting on Tuesday morning. For the SP, avoiding a contest allows it to conserve political and organisational resources for the larger battle ahead.
A cryptic post by Akhilesh Yadav on X on Tuesday morning appeared to signal the decision. He wrote that the party was now “no longer eyeing three seats but all 403 seats.”
The SP candidates had filed their nomination papers on September 30, while the BJP turned the filing of nominations on Tuesday into a show of organisational strength.
All eight BJP candidates gathered at the state headquarters before proceeding to Vidhan Bhawan to file their papers. They were accompanied by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state president Pankaj Chaudhary and several senior leaders and office-bearers.
The BJP-led alliance currently has 288 MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, including 255 BJP MLAs, 13 from Apna Dal (Sonelal), nine from the Rashtriya Lok Dal, six from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and five from the NISHAD Party.
The SP-Congress combine has 102 MLAs, including 100 from the SP and two from the Congress. One SP MLA, Ramakant Yadav, is in jail. Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya’s Jansatta Dal Loktantrik has two MLAs, while there are three unattached legislators.