Bharatiya Janata Party announced eight candidates for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. They have been released on October 5, 2026, just one day before the deadline for filing nominations.
Even as the announcement comes ahead of a key Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh with 10 seats, which will be held on October 16. The BJP currently has a big majority in the state Assembly and a large percentage of seats in the state is expected to be retained by the party.
List of BJP candidates
According to the BJP press release reproduced by Babushahi, the eight candidates from Uttar Pradesh are:
- Dharampal Singh
- Radhakant Ojha
- Prakash Pal
- Vidyakumar Sonkar
- Gopi Krishna Pandey
- Priyanka Singh Rawat
- Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan
- Shruti Gangwar
The names appear in the BJP's Central Election Committee press release dated October 5, 2026.
Why the UP Rajya Sabha Elections matter?
The Uttar Pradesh election is particularly important since the state sends the largest number of members to the Rajya Sabha. Ten seats are being fought this time with the terms of several sitting members ending in November.
The BJP has a good position in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly with numbers in hand. The party has so far been able to win 7 seats comfortably and is also hoping for an eighth by now. On the other hand, Samajwadi Party has the numbers to win two seats and is mulling whether to put in another candidate.
October 16 Voting Date
The Election Commission has set voting for October 16, 2026. Nomination is already on its way, and October 6 will be the last date to file nomination papers. The scrutiny will take place on October 7 and candidates are allowed to withdraw their nominations until October 9.
If more candidates enter the race than can be elected through the existing political arithmetic, the election could turn into a closely watched contest involving first-preference votes and possible cross-voting.
भारतीय जनता पार्टी की केंद्रीय चुनाव समिति ने उत्तर प्रदेश में होने वाले राज्यसभा द्विवार्षिक चुनाव 2026 हेतु निम्नलिखित नामों पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की है। https://t.co/ra7duYMNre
— BJP Uttar Pradesh (@BJP4UP) October 5, 2026
BJP's Political strategy in focus.
Also, Uttar Pradesh is heading towards its next Assembly election. Rajya Sabha nominees can provide clues on the BJP's organisational priorities, regional representation and political strategy.
Before the final announcement, several names like Smriti Irani, Harish Dwivedi, Kumar Vishwas, Hardeep Singh Puri, Sanjeev Balyan had been discussed in media reports as possible contenders. But the final list contains eight names.
BJP vs SP: What Happens Next?
With the BJP going to announce its eight candidates now, then the attention will be shifted to the Samajwadi Party and the number of nominations. SP has already picked Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Nathwani and there are discussions about a third candidate.
The final nomination figures for October 6 will determine if the October 16 election becomes a simple exercise based on Assembly numbers or develops into a competitive contest for the remaining seat.
But for now, the BJP's announcement gives the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha battle a clearer picture of the campaign with eight candidates in the race.
