Race for BJP’s Rajya Sabha nominations heats up; names ranging from Kumar Vishwas to Smriti Irani under discussion.
Lucknow. The churning over the names of candidates has intensified within the Bharatiya Janata Party regarding the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Voting for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in the state is to be held on 16 October 2026. Based on the current assembly mathematics, BJP and its allies can field their candidates on eight seats. In view of this, there is news of Uttar Pradesh BJP sending a wide panel of potential candidates to the central leadership.
According to media reports, the BJP state leadership has sent a panel of about 24 to 25 names to the central leadership. In this, about three names have been considered for each possible seat. However, no official announcement has been made by BJP regarding this list yet and the final decision has to be taken by the central leadership.
Most of the attention in the discussion is on the name of poet and former Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas. Reports say his name is included in the list of probable candidates. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding his candidature from the party or Kumar Vishwas. Therefore, at present it is being seen only as political speculation.
The name of senior BJP leader Smriti Irani is also said to be included in the list of possible names. Apart from this, names of many leaders like Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, former MP Harish Dwivedi, BL Verma, Rajveer Singh Raju Bhaiyya, Subrata Pathak, Trimbak Tripathi, Durvijay Shakya, Suresh Rana, Geeta Shakya, Rekha Verma and Priyanka Rawat are in discussion.
According to reports, the names of Kaushal Kishore, Kameshwar Singh, Dilip Patel, Anil Aggarwal, Rajendra Aggarwal, Mamtesh Shakya, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Sanjeev Balyan, Satyapal Singh, Brijlal, Ramshankar Katheria and Prakash Pal are also included in the panel. However, the decision on which of these eight names will be finalized will be taken by the BJP central leadership.
This time elections are being held on a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The tenure of nine members is expiring on November 25, 2026, while one seat has already become vacant due to the resignation of former Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Sharma. Dinesh Sharma had resigned from the Rajya Sabha after he was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Many big names of BJP are included among the members who have completed their tenure. These include leaders like Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal and BL Verma. The seat of Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav and a member associated with BSP is also part of this election process.
The biggest question before the BJP this time is how many existing members should be given a second chance and how many new faces should be sent to the Rajya Sabha. The names are being discussed within the party keeping in mind the organizational experience, social equations, regional balance and the upcoming assembly elections. In particular, there is news of emphasis on balancing the representation of Brahmins, Backward Classes, Dalits and other social groups.
Smriti Irani’s name is being discussed in the context of this social and political equation. Whereas Hardeep Singh Puri is currently a Rajya Sabha member and Union Minister, there is also discussion about the possibility of him getting another chance. However, the party has not officially approved any of these names.
The mathematics of Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh is considered to be strong in favor of BJP. BJP and its allies have sufficient numbers in the assembly, allowing them to field candidates on eight seats. Samajwadi Party is in a strong position on two seats on the basis of its numbers. However, additional candidates, cross-voting or other political tactics could make the election interesting.
The nomination process has started from 29th September. The last date for nomination is October 6, while candidates will be able to withdraw their names till October 9. Voting and counting will take place on October 16. Therefore, BJP will have to decide the names of its candidates soon.
There has also been a discussion about possible candidates in the core committee of the state BJP. The party leadership is trying to prepare the final list keeping in mind the performance of the sitting MPs, contribution towards the organization and the political message of the upcoming assembly elections.
Political discussions have intensified with Kumar Vishwas’ name appearing in the list. He was earlier associated with the Aam Aadmi Party and later distanced himself from active party politics and has been active in literary and public programs. However, there is no formal confirmation regarding his name and only in the reports his name is being mentioned as a possible candidate.
At present, Uttar Pradesh BJP has not released the official list of candidates. The central leadership will select eight candidates from a panel of about 25 names. Only after this it will be clear whether the party maintains faith in the existing members or gives a new political message before the upcoming assembly elections by sending new faces to the Rajya Sabha.