SP Names Ramgopal Yadav, Dhanraj Nathwani As Rajya Sabha Candidates From UP

The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced senior leader Ramgopal Yadav and corporate executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh.

Ramgopal Yadav is a senior SP leader and the party’s national general secretary. A longtime Rajya Sabha member, he has been one of the key organisational figures in the party and has represented the SP in Parliament for several terms. He is also a cousin of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle of party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, the second nominee, is a corporate executive and sports administrator. He is currently the Group President at Reliance Industries. His father, Parimal Nathwani, is an industrialist and a Rajya Sabha member. Nathwani met Akhilesh Yadav and senior SP leaders before being named as the party’s candidate.

The two nominees are expected to file their nomination papers later in the day in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav and other senior party leaders.

The Election Commission has scheduled elections for 11 Rajya Sabha seats — 10 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand — on October 16. The terms of the current members from these states will end on November 25. A separate by-election will also be held for one Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal.

Ahead of the nomination process, Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar criticised the SP’s candidate selection and questioned whether the party’s nominees reflected its PDA (Pichhada, Dalit and Alpashankhyak) framework.

Taking a dig at Akhilesh Yadav, Rajbhar questioned whether the party’s Rajya Sabha candidates would represent backward classes, Dalits and minorities or include family members, wealthy individuals and criminals.

“Akhilesh ji, I've heard you're going to field three candidates for the Rajya Sabha. Tell me, will all three be from your ‘PDA’ or not? The first one is Professor Sahab. He's from your PDA ‘P’ for family. Now, who will it be for ‘D’ and ‘A’?” Rajbhar said in a post on X.

He further asked whether the candidates for “D” and “A” would be a “wealthy” person and a “criminal”, respectively.

“Do tell, because all the backward class folks, Dalit brothers, and Muslim brothers want to know how you're scheming to send family, the wealthy, and criminals from your PDA to the upper house of Parliament,” he added.

Rajbhar also advised the SP against risking the second seat while attempting to contest for a third Rajya Sabha seat.

Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, one of the SP’s nominees, is a corporate executive and sports administrator. He is currently the Group President at Reliance Industries. His father, Parimal Nathwani, is an industrialist and Rajya Sabha member.

Nathwani met Akhilesh Yadav and senior SP leaders before being named as the party’s nominee. He is expected to file his nomination papers along with Ramgopal Yadav.

The Rajya Sabha elections will determine members for 11 seats across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with polling scheduled for October 16.