BJP’s UP Rajya Sabha List Out: Oil Minister Hardeep Puri Dropped, 8 Candidates Named

The BJP has announced eight candidates for the October 16 Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, including two women. Former Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and Shruti Gangwar, daughter of Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, are among the nominees. Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan are the other candidates. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, whose Rajya Sabha term is ending, has not been included in the list. Party insiders say his omission could signal a reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers. Ten Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, with eight currently held by the BJP, one each by the SP and BSP.