Bharatiya Janata Party drops eight incumbent Rajya Sabha members in Uttar Pradesh

The Bharatiya Janata Party has dropped eight incumbent Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh, including Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Union Minister of State B.L. Verma, ahead of the biennial polls scheduled for October 16.

The terms of the current members ending include Hardeep Singh Puri, B.L. Verma, Arun Singh, Neeraj Shekhar, Geeta Shakya, Brijlal, and Seema Dwivedi. The seat previously held by former Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma is also part of the election; Sharma resigned from the Upper House on September 11 following his appointment as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Their current terms conclude on November 25. Under Article 75(5) of the Constitution, a minister who is not a member of either House of Parliament for six consecutive months must relinquish office, triggering speculation over a potential Union cabinet reshuffle or alternative parliamentary entry routes, though the party has not issued official remarks.

In the newly announced candidate list for Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has fielded eight nominees, reflecting a balance of three upper-caste candidates, three Other Backward Classes (OBC), and two from Scheduled Castes. Radhakant Ojha and Gopi Krishna Pandey represent the Brahmin community, while Dharampal Singh belongs to the Lodhi community, alongside representation for the Pal and Kurmi communities. Women candidates Priyanka Singh रावत and Shruti Gangwar have also been nominated, while animal husbandry minister Dharampal Singh’s candidacy signals an emphasis on organisational and grassroots political figures.

Political analysts view the candidate selection through the lens of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, as the party strategizes to secure a third consecutive term by addressing regional and caste dynamics. According to sources cited by the Times of India, the party conducted ground assessments across 255 assembly segments represented by its MLAs, identifying roughly 100 legislators facing anti-incumbency, which could impact future tickets. Feedback regarding local organisational ties and voter acceptance was also gathered, alongside consultations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Beyond Uttar Pradesh, the BJP nominated Dinesh Arya for a Rajya Sabha seat in Uttarakhand and Rukmini Koyal Malik, who switched from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP, for a by-election seat in West Bengal. Nominations for the ten Uttar Pradesh seats close on October 6, with voting set for October 16.