Lucknow, Oct 2026 : Eight Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates and two Samajwadi Party (SP) nominees have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh after the nomination papers of two Independent candidates were rejected during scrutiny, leaving no contest for the 10 seats.
With all 10 candidates declared elected unopposed, the polling scheduled for October 16 will no longer be required. The outcome also marks the end of the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) representation in the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
The eight BJP candidates elected to the Upper House are Uttar Pradesh Minister Dharm Pal Singh, state BJP OBC Morcha president Prakash Pal, Shruti Gangwar, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan.
The SP’s two successful candidates are senior leader and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, who returns to the Upper House, and industrialist Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, who is entering the Rajya Sabha for the first time.
Returning Officer Ajit Kumar Verma completed the formalities on Friday and issued election certificates to the newly elected members at the state Assembly complex. Most BJP candidates were present to receive their certificates. A representative collected Ojha’s certificate, while former MLC Rakesh Yadav received the certificate on behalf of Ram Gopal Yadav.
Following his election, Prakash Pal said he had served the BJP in various capacities for 36 years and would now take up the responsibility of raising issues concerning Uttar Pradesh and the country in Parliament.
He also expressed confidence about the party’s prospects in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Referring to the BJP’s unopposed victories on eight Rajya Sabha seats, he predicted that the party would win 80 per cent of the seats in the next Assembly polls, while the opposition alliance would secure 20 per cent.
Newly elected BJP MP Priyanka Singh Rawat described her nomination as recognition of grassroots workers. She said the party had entrusted a major responsibility to a worker and presented her election as an example of its organisational structure, which she said enabled dedicated workers to rise to senior positions.
Rawat also expressed confidence that the BJP would return to power in Uttar Pradesh with a full majority in 2027.
The results will reshape the state’s representation in the Rajya Sabha. The SP’s strength in the Upper House will rise to five, including Ram Gopal Yadav and Nathwani, alongside existing members Javed Ali, Ramji Lal Suman and Jaya Bachchan.
Nathwani thanked SP president Akhilesh Yadav in a post on X for placing his trust in him. He said he would work in Parliament to advance Akhilesh Yadav’s vision for the comprehensive development of Uttar Pradesh, modern infrastructure and better opportunities for the state’s youth.
The terms of the 10 outgoing Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh end on November 25. Before the latest elections, the BJP held eight of these seats, while the SP and BSP held one each. The new outcome leaves the BSP without representation from the state in the Upper House.
Meanwhile, unopposed elections have also been reported from Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
In Uttarakhand, BJP leader Dinesh Kumar Arya, a Dalit leader from the Kumaon region, has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, as no candidate from another political party filed a nomination.
In West Bengal, Bengali film actress Rukmini Mallik, popularly known as Koel Mallik, has also been elected unopposed to the Upper House after recently joining the BJP.
The developments across the three states have concluded the Rajya Sabha contests without polling in the seats concerned, following the completion of nomination scrutiny and the absence of competing candidates.
