States » NorthPosted at: Oct 5 2026 4:16PM


BJP denies RS tickets to two union ministers, fields new faces

Lucknow, Oct 5 (UNI) The BJP on Monday announced candidates for eight Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, denying tickets to two union ministers and opting for mostly new faces. union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma are among the eight MPs who have not secured a renomination for the biennial elections, which are scheduled to take place on October 16.

Tomorrow is the last date for filing nominations, and if required, polling will take place on October 16.


Two women nominees in the BJP list—former Barabanki MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and Bareilly's Shruti Gangwar—came as a major surprise.

Shruti is the daughter of Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, and she is currently the Chairperson of Bareilly Urban Co-operative Bank Limited.

UP Minister Dharampal Singh, along with Ravikant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, has also been named among the candidates. All six are seasoned leaders with long-standing experience in the Uttar Pradesh BJP organisation.

The BJP's eight candidates comprise two Brahmins, one Thakur, three OBCs and two Dalits. The OBC nominees include one each from the Lodhi, Kurmi and Pal communities, while the Dalit candidates are from the Khatik and Pasi communities.

The BJP has not renominated any of the seven incumbents for these seats, instead fielded new candidates for all eight seats. union ministers Hardeep Puri and BL Verma were not repeated this time.

The BJP has denied a Rajya Sabha ticket to union Minister of State B L Verma, replacing him with Dharampal Singh, a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.
Ten Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, eight of which are currently held by the BJP, while the SP and the BSP hold one each.
UNI MBD RSA
Tags: #BJP denies RS tickets to two union ministers# fields new faces
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