Amid lobbying, caste and regional calculations, brainstorming has begun in the BJP to finalise candidates for the upcoming elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats, while it remains to be seen as to who will make the final cut for an Upper House berth.
Among the names doing the rounds are former Union ministers Smriti Irani and Kaushal Kishore, former Etah MP and former CM Kalyan Singh’s son Rajveer Singh, former Basti MP Harish Dwivedi, senior lawyer Raghvendra Singh and former Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Prabhakar Sahasrabuddhe.
Other prominent names in circulation include Priyanka Rawat (SC), Ram Chandra Kannoujiya (SC) Prakash Pal (OBC), Kameshwar Singh (Thakur), Suresh Rana (Thakur), Braj Bahadur (Brahmin), Prakash Pal (OBC) and Ram Pratap Singh (Thakur). Nomination process for Upper House election began on Tuesday and the voting, if necessitated, will take place on October 16.
According to insiders, the BJP leadership is currently considering around 20 names to pick eight for nomination to the Parliament’s Upper House as the party is in a position to nominate 8 candidates based on its strength in the state legislature.
Seven BJP members—Arun Singh, BL Verma, Brijlal, Hardeep Singh Puri, Geeta Shakya, Seema Dwivedi and Neeraj Shekhar—are among those whose terms are ending, while one seat has fallen vacant following Dinesh Sharma’s resignation after his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
{{/usCountry}}Seven BJP members—Arun Singh, BL Verma, Brijlal, Hardeep Singh Puri, Geeta Shakya, Seema Dwivedi and Neeraj Shekhar—are among those whose terms are ending, while one seat has fallen vacant following Dinesh Sharma’s resignation after his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
{{/usCountry}}The party’s core committee meeting headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath is believed to have discussed names at its meeting here on Monday. “The names are expected to be finalised soon after one or two more rounds of the meeting,” a senior BJP leader said.
Among the party’s prospective candidates, former Union minister Smriti Irani had defeated Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in 2019 general election but lost to him in 2024.
She was brought back into the BJP’s central organisation in August as national vice-president and subsequently given charge of Haryana and Chhattisgarh. Irani is considered a vocal female face whose nomination from Uttar Pradesh could also address gender education.
Another name being discussed is former Basti MP Harish Dwivedi who has recently been elevated as BJP national general secretary and given additional organisational responsibilities in Bihar and Karnataka. His projection as a prominent Brahmin face from eastern UP has added to speculation that he may be sent to the Upper House.
There is also talk of a change in the Lodh representation. Party sources say Union minister BL Verma could be replaced by Rajveer Singh, son of former chief minister Kalyan Singh, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Etah in 2024. His possible entry into the Rajya Sabha is being viewed within the BJP in the context of the Lodh community’s political significance in parts of western UP where Singh is believed to have good influence over the community.
Verma too belongs to the Lodh community and was a close associate of Kalyan Singh. The possible change, therefore, is being discussed within the BJP as replacement of one Lodh face with another, rather than change in caste representation.
A similar debate is taking place over the party’s Thakur representation. Arun Singh, whose term is ending may not be repeated, according to sources. One name being discussed in his place is that of a senior lawyer Raghvendra Singh who earlier served as the state’s advocate general after formation of the Yogi government in 2017. Singh is believed to have met BJP national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh last week, triggering speculation.
The BJP is also considering changes in its Scheduled Caste representation. Brij Lal (71), a former IPS officer whose term is also ending, may not be repeated with former MP Kaushal Kishore among the names being discussed, according to party sources.
Kishore, a former Union minister, comes from the dominant Pasi caste and recently gave signals of his anger with the party. He has represented the Mohanlalganj (Lucknow) Lok Sabha constituency twice.
Another name in circulation is that of Vinay Prabhakar Sahasrabuddhe, an ex-MP who has recently been assigned charge of Delhi as its in-charge. From Maharashtra, he enjoys proximity to the RSS.
Meanwhile, party insiders say the BJP is also considering not sending leaders above 65 to the Rajya Sabha, though there is no formal announcement to this effect. The future of Hardeep Singh Puri (74) is also being watched closely. Puri’s term as a Rajya Sabha member from UP is ending and his age, among other factors, may go against him.
“Rather than merely replacing outgoing MPs, the party appears to be examining how the eight likely Rajya Sabha selections, along with the Vidhan Parishad nominations fit into its broader political and organisational requirements before the 2027 assembly polls,” a BJP leader pointed out.