UP Rajya Sabha Election: BJP Announces 8 Candidates, Drops Smriti Irani, Hardeep Puri

BJP names 8 Rajya Sabha candidates from UP, focusing on caste equations ahead of Assembly polls. Smriti Irani, Kumar Vishwas and Hardeep Singh Puri miss out.

BJP named Rajya Sabha candidates for UP but dropped Smriti Irani And Hardeep Singh Puri.

Source : ANI, PTI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• BJP announced eight candidates for Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections.
• List reflects social equations, includes OBC, Dalit representation.
• Prominent leaders like Puri, Irani were notably not nominated.

The BJP has announced eight candidates for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, with several names coming as a surprise. Several prominent leaders who were reportedly in contention for tickets have not found a place on the list.

The BJP's candidates are Dharmapal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.

BJP Focuses On Social Equations Ahead Of UP Polls

With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due next year, the BJP's list appears to factor in social equations. The eight candidates include three OBC, two Dalit, two Brahmin and one Thakur candidate.

Names such as former Union minister Smriti Irani, Kumar Vishwas and Hardeep Singh Puri had been doing the rounds for a Rajya Sabha ticket. The BJP has, however, chosen two women candidates — Shruti Gangwar and Priyanka Singh Rawat.

BJP issues a list of 8 candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha. https://t.co/k6dfExHwvY

— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2026

Shruti Gangwar is the daughter of former Union minister Santosh Gangwar.

Who Are The BJP's UP Rajya Sabha Candidates?

1. Dharmapal Singh

He is a Cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government handling the Livestock and Dairy Development portfolios and the MLA from Aonla Assembly constituency in Bareilly. He is considered one of the prominent OBC (Lodhi Rajput) leaders in western Uttar Pradesh and has been actively involved in the BJP's organisation and government for a long time.

2. Radhakant Ojha

Radhakant Ojha is a senior advocate from Prayagraj and a former president of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association. He is a prominent Brahmin face with a strong presence in the legal fraternity and has maintained links between the party and the lawyer community.

3. Prakash Pal

Prakash Pal is the Uttar Pradesh president of the BJP's OBC Morcha and previously served as the regional president of the Kanpur-Bundelkhand region. He represents the Gadaria/Pal OBC community and is known for his organisational work.

4. Vidyasagar Sonkar

Vidyasagar Sonkar is a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and a former state general secretary of the BJP. Hailing from Jaunpur and the Purvanchal region, he is a prominent Dalit leader from the Sonkar/Khatik community and has maintained a strong organisational presence within the party for a long time.

5. Gopi Krishna Pandey

Gopi Krishna Pandey is a senior organisational leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has played an active role in strengthening the BJP's support base among the Brahmin community in the Purvanchal and Awadh regions, as well as in organisational coordination.

6. Priyanka Singh Rawat

Priyanka Singh Rawat is a former Lok Sabha MP from Barabanki and a BJP state secretary. She is a prominent woman leader from the Dalit (Pasi) community and has consistently worked on public-interest issues and women's empowerment in the region.

7. Ram Pratap Chauhan

Ram Pratap Chauhan is a former MLA from Etmadpur in Agra and a senior BJP leader. He is an influential leader among the Kshatriya/Rajput community in the Braj region and has been a dedicated party worker for a long time.

8. Shruti Gangwar

Shruti Gangwar is an active woman and young BJP leader from the Rohilkhand/Bareilly region. She belongs to the Kurmi OBC community, and her selection gives the party representation among the Kurmi/OBC community in the Rohilkhand region while also strengthening women's representation.

BL Verma, Hardeep Singh Puri Left Out

The BJP has not repeated any of its Rajya Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh. The exclusion of BL Verma and Hardeep Singh Puri has fuelled speculation that the Union government could soon see a Cabinet expansion.