Lucknow, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
All eight Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates from Uttar Pradesh filed their nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, paving the way for a likely unopposed election to the 10 Upper House seats in the state.
The BJP had announced its eight candidates on Monday. The list includes Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopikrishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded two candidates — Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhananjay Parimal Nathwani — after deciding against putting up a third candidate.
With 10 candidates currently in the fray for 10 seats, the possibility of an unopposed election has emerged. However, the nominations will first have to clear scrutiny, followed by the withdrawal process.
The eight BJP candidates reached the party’s state headquarters before filing their papers and were welcomed by party workers with drums and trumpets. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak accompanied them during the nomination process.
Dharampal Singh was the first BJP candidate to file his nomination, while Shruti Gangwar, daughter of Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, was the last.
Priyanka Singh Rawat, a former Barabanki MP, and Gopikrishna Pandey also received blessings from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the nomination process.
After filing his papers, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan said the party had entrusted him with the responsibility of representing it in the Upper House and that he would discharge the responsibility with full dedication.
Prakash Pal, who heads the BJP’s OBC Morcha, said the party’s decision to nominate a “common worker” had generated enthusiasm among backward classes. He said dedicated party workers had opportunities to rise to important positions within the BJP.
BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary said the party followed what it preached and noted that all eight candidates were party workers working together through the nomination process.
The SP had initially been considering fielding a third candidate, but party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s decision not to do so has removed the immediate possibility of a contest.
Voting for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled for October 16, while October 6 is the last date for filing nominations. If no additional candidate enters the contest and all nominations are found valid, polling will not be required.
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