Lucknow: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Rajya Sabha list for Uttar Pradesh is still awaited, and one name being discussed could change the political arithmetic between the BJP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. RLD chief and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary is being considered as a possible BJP-backed candidate for the Upper House.
Earlier reporting noted: The SP has already announced two candidates —party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Industries Group president Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, who are set to comfortably get elected based on the party’s numerical strength in the Uttar Pradesh assembly. He is now part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and serves as a Union minister. If that happens, he would have to resign from his existing seat before taking up the new term. That could create an opening for the RLD to secure another Rajya Sabha seat for the balance of the minister’s ongoing term. The possibility has also led to reports about Jayant’s wife Charu Chaudhary being considered for the seat. One proposal being discussed is that the vacant RLD seat could go to another senior party leader or Charu after Jayant moves to a new seat. Seven sitting BJP members are completing their terms, while another seat fell vacant after Dinesh Sharma resigned following his appointment as the lieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is expected to win two seats on its present numbers. That leaves the party with room to use one of its nominations for a broader political purpose. Eight names are expected from the BJP list. Jayant’s political journey from an SP-backed Rajya Sabha member to a minister in the NDA has also become part of his equation with Akhilesh Yadav. The SP chief has repeatedly criticised him after the RLD joined the NDA. Caste, gender and demographic considerations are expected to be factored in while picking the nominees. The terms of Arun Singh, Geeta alias Chandraprabha, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal, BL Verma, Seema Dwivedi and Puri are ending in November. SP renominated Yadav. The term of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s Ramji Gautam is also ending. The party does not have the numbers for any representation in Parliament.
Because jayant presently serves as a Rajya Sabha member, the possibility is unusual. He was elected from Uttar Pradesh in 2022 with the support of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and has a term until July 2028. Reports from Uttar Pradesh suggest the BJP could nominate Jayant from its quota in the October 16 Rajya Sabha election. The BJP is expected to win eight of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats being contested from Uttar Pradesh. Earlier reporting noted: Dinesh Sharma vacated his Rajya Sabha seat on September 11 after he was appointed Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lieutenant Governor. This will be the first time since 1994 that the BSP will have no presence in the Rajya Sabha.
Party sources said that the central leadership is considering several names, including Smriti Irani, Harish Dwivedi and Varun Gandhi. In a recent statement, he said, “We turned him from a four-anna coin into a rupee,” claiming that his party had helped elevate Jayant politically. The BJP is likely to field at least three women, said a functionary.
Earlier reporting noted: The Rajya Sabha terms of Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma are set to end in November, and they are expected to be renominated from Uttar Pradesh.
