Parimal Nathwani, the director‑corporate affairs at Reliance Industries, won a fourth Rajya Sabha term on 15 June 2026 after the NDA coalition secured a victory in a closely contested vote. The 65‑vote win came against Congress nominee Pranav Jha, with cross‑voting from the JMM‑led coalition tipping the balance.
On the same day, the Samajwadi Party announced Dhanraj Nathwani as its nominee for a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, a move that saw the party field a Reliance executive against the BJP’s traditional stronghold. Dhanraj, who chairs the Gujarat Cricket Association and oversees the Jamnagar manufacturing division, filed his nomination in Lucknow before SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
The Nathwanis have traversed party lines since 2008, when Parimal entered the upper house as an independent from Jharkhand. He later secured seats in 2014 and 2020 with BJP and YSR Congress backing, respectively, and his interventions helped broker alliances in both states.
Elections to ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh will take place on 16 October 2026, ahead of the 2027 state assembly polls. The current assembly arithmetic predicts the BJP‑led alliance will clinch eight seats, while the Samajwadi Party is poised to win two, a split that could reshape the state's political calculus.
For Dhanraj, the nomination is more than a political gimmick; it signals a new chapter for a family already entrenched in corporate and cricketing circles. In a tweet, he thanked Akhilesh Yadav and described the filing as a "new phase in my public life," hinting at broader ambitions beyond corporate governance.