BJP names 8 Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh; Smriti Irani, Hardeep Puri left out

Ten Rajya Sabha seats are to be filled from Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has announced its candidates for eight of them. Many of the prominent names that had been discussed for the past few days do not appear on the list, and the omissions have set off discussion in political circles.

With the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in view, the party is said to have weighed caste arithmetic along with local equations while choosing candidates.

There had been much speculation in recent days about the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidates. Union Minister Hardeep Puri, former Union Minister Smriti Irani, Harish Dwivedi and B. L. Verma were said to be front-runners. None of them is on the list of eight announced.

It had also been said that former MPs Kaushal Kishore and Sanjeev Balyan could get a Rajya Sabha berth. It is now clear that their names are not on the final list either. All eyes are now on what political message the BJP is trying to send.

There is also discussion about why Irani's name is missing. In the BJP, it is said, there is a tradition of sending party general secretaries to the Rajya Sabha after some time. In recent years, leaders who have worked for the party for many years have been given a place in the upper House of Parliament after organisational responsibilities. In Irani's case, however, a different decision is said to have been taken.

Citing sources, it is being said that the party has decided not to give a Rajya Sabha ticket this time to leaders who lost the Lok Sabha election. Irani lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and this is being cited as an important factor behind her name being left out.

The Rajya Sabha terms of Union Minister Hardeep Puri and B. L. Verma end next month. Neither has been given another term this time, and discussion has therefore begun about their Union ministerial posts too.

According to claims made citing BJP sources, there is dissatisfaction at some levels of the party over Puri's style of working. In particular, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be unhappy with his role during the Iran crisis. The BJP has, however, not offered any official explanation.

Puri has been sent to the Rajya Sabha twice before. He had also contested the Lok Sabha election but lost. His Rajya Sabha term ends in November. Under the rules, he can continue as a Union minister for some more time after that.

Given the forthcoming Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, political analysts say the BJP tried to balance local leadership, social equations and caste arithmetic in choosing candidates. There is also talk that the party's broader election strategy lies behind setting aside the big names under discussion and giving new faces a chance.

It will now be important to see which names the BJP brings forward for the remaining two seats, and what effect the decision has on Uttar Pradesh politics.