The October 16 Rajya Sabha election for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh will decide the fate of prominent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders amid speculation on whether the parties will renominate the outgoing members or opt for new faces to address emerging socio-political dynamics in the 2027 assembly election.
The prominent BJP leaders whose term in the Rajya Sabha ends on November 25 include Union minister for petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma, Union minister of state for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and social justice and empowerment.
There is speculation of a Union cabinet reshuffle after a two-day high-level review meeting (Chintan Baithak), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, concluded on Thursday.
Puri, a retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2018 after former defence minister Manohar Parrikar resigned from the Upper House. In view of the Punjab elections, it remains to be seen whether the BJP will give Puri another term or replace him with another Sikh leader.
There is speculation in BJP circles that the party may move BL Verma, who enjoys influence among the Lodh community, to an organisational assignment to challenge the opposition in the fight for OBC votes. Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, is a three-term Rajya Sabha MP who holds no organisational post in the BJP, but his father’s legacy and influence in east UP politics have strengthened his claim to another term. He was elected to the Lok Sabha on an SP ticket in the 2007 bypoll after his father’s death and in the 2009 general election. BJP candidate Bharat Singh defeated him in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He lost to Samajwadi Party nominee Sanatan Pandey in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
{{/usCountry}}There is speculation in BJP circles that the party may move BL Verma, who enjoys influence among the Lodh community, to an organisational assignment to challenge the opposition in the fight for OBC votes. Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, is a three-term Rajya Sabha MP who holds no organisational post in the BJP, but his father’s legacy and influence in east UP politics have strengthened his claim to another term. He was elected to the Lok Sabha on an SP ticket in the 2007 bypoll after his father’s death and in the 2009 general election. BJP candidate Bharat Singh defeated him in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He lost to Samajwadi Party nominee Sanatan Pandey in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
{{/usCountry}}After former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma vacated his seat on his appointment as the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands early this month, the BJP may field a Brahmin candidate before the assembly election.
Former IPS officer Brij Lal (1977 batch), a Dalit who wielded influence in the state police when the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power (2007-12), is also vying for a second term. He joined the BJP in 2015 and was sent to the Rajya Sabha in 2020.
Arun Singh, who served as BJP national general secretary, headquarters in-charge as well as in charge of various states, will complete his second term in the Rajya Sabha. He was dropped from the BJP national team as part of a revamp.
Seema Dwivedi, a three-term former MLA and single-term Rajya Sabha member, has been a prominent Brahmin face in east UP with influence in Jaunpur and adjoining districts.
Geeta Shakya, a first-term Rajya Sabha member who has held various party posts, is an OBC leader. The community’s vote is decisive in the Etah, Etawah, Auraiya and Mainpuri region. If the duo are not repeated, the BJP may replace them with women candidates as the party aims to win over women voters in the assembly elections.
The Samajwadi Party is likely to re-nominate its general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, who will complete his fifth term. Elected to the Upper House for the first time in 1992, he is among the longest-serving Rajya Sabha members and known for his political strategy and outreach across various parties. He is also the uncle of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
The SP is in a position to comfortably elect two members while a third candidate will require extra votes. There is speculation that the SP may field OBC and Dalit candidates. Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel’s mother Krishna Patel is also among the contenders for the SP ticket.
Former UP chief secretary Alok Ranjan, who lost the 2024 Rajya Sabha election due to cross-voting by SP MLAs, is also in the race. It remains to be seen whether the SP fields just two candidates or opts for a third one as well to challenge the NDA.