New Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party has locked in its eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh, a list that conspicuously leaves out Union Minister Hardeep Puri. The omission signals a potential cabinet reshuffle at the Centre, as Puri was widely tipped to secure a seat to bolster his standing ahead of the next general election. The party’s move prioritizes internal balance over individual ministerial ambitions.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the slate on X, calling it a "historic victory" for the elected members. The eight nominees—Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, Priyanka Singh Rawat, and Shruti Gangwar—represent a calculated mix of social engineering. The list ensures representation for Backward Classes, Dalits, Brahmins, and Thakurs, reflecting the complex caste arithmetic of Uttar Pradesh politics.
The party aims to win seven of the ten seats up for grabs on October 16, with a push for an eighth. Dharampal Singh, a member of the Lodh community, leads the list, while Shruti Gangwar, daughter of Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, enters the fray as an OBC representative. Prakash Pal, president of the party’s OBC Morcha, and former MLC Vidyasagar Sonkar, a Dalit, round out the key social categories. This distribution is designed to pre-empt opposition attacks on the party’s social representation.
The exclusion of Puri, a key voice in the government, has raised questions about his future role in the central cabinet. Party strategists view the Rajya Sabha seat as a career path, but the decision to bypass a sitting minister suggests a different hierarchy of loyalty and political utility. The opposition is expected to criticize the selection process, but the BJP’s strength in the assembly makes the outcome largely predictable.
The election is scheduled for October 16, with results expected to solidify the BJP’s majority in the upper house. The next phase will involve the central government finalizing its cabinet composition, a move that could reshape policy priorities in the coming months. For now, the focus remains on the assembly floor, where the party’s dominance ensures a smooth passage for its nominees.