BJP names eight candidates for Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections

The BJP announced its list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, fielding eight contenders across various social categories. The slate includes three candidates from other backward classes, two from scheduled castes, and three from the general category, with two women nominees among the total.

Dharmapal Singh, a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, features prominently among the OBC candidates. Singh hails from the Lodhi community, one of the three OBC groups represented in the party's selection. The other OBC candidates come from the Pal and Kurmi communities respectively.

The candidate list reflects the BJP's strategy to balance representation across social categories while maintaining gender diversity. The two female nominees are part of the party's broader effort to increase women's participation in legislative bodies across the region.

The selections come as political parties prepare for the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and a key political battleground. The announced candidates will undergo the formal nomination and election process in the coming weeks.