Hardeep Puri, 7 other sitting BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from UP dropped for upcoming polls

The BJP has sprung a surprise with its Rajya Sabha nominations from Uttar Pradesh, dropping all eight sitting MPs whose terms are ending, including Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri.The party has fielded eight new candidates for the 2026 Rajya Sabha biennial elections: Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.The list includes three OBC candidates, two Scheduled Caste candidates and three from the general category. Two of the eight nominees are women.Dharampal Singh, a senior BJP leader from Aonla in Bareilly, is a multiple-term MLA and a Cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, holding the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development portfolios. He belongs to the Lodhi community. Prakash Pal is a senior BJP organisational leader and president of the party's Uttar Pradesh OBC Morcha. He belongs to the Pal community, which is classified as OBC, and has previously headed the BJP's Kanpur-Bundelkhand organisational region.Vidyasagar Sonkar, a veteran BJP leader from Jaunpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, belongs to the Dalit community. He is a former Lok Sabha MP from Saidpur (SC), a former MLC and has also served as a BJP general secretary. Priyanka Singh Rawat is a former BJP Lok Sabha MP from Barabanki. She won the 2014 Lok Sabha election from the constituency, defeating Congress veteran PL Punia.Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan is a senior BJP organisational leader. He was appointed state general secretary in the June 2026 Uttar Pradesh BJP reshuffle and was given charge of the Western Uttar Pradesh organisational region in August.The other nominees are Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Shruti Gangwar.The sitting Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha MPs left out of the new list are Arun Singh, Seema Dwivedi, BL Verma, Hardeep Singh Puri, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal and Geeta Shakya.Dinesh Sharma, whose name was also among the outgoing MPs, is now the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The BJP's nominations come ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election and bring a mix of caste representation, organisational experience and regional balance to the party's Rajya Sabha slate.- Ends