The BJP on Sunday announced a list of 14 candidates for the biennial polls to the Rajya Sabha, with former Union Minister R.P.N Singh — who joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 — among those nominated. With 28 of its members retiring and the same number expected back, the list of 14 names has nominations from Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Bihar.
The list also clarifies what was only speculation till now, that Union Ministers who are Rajya Sabha members are being encouraged to contest the Lok Sabha polls, as none of the candidates appears to be renominated Ministers. Barring any changes in the second list, the policy of not repeating them stands. For example, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, MP from Karnataka, has not been renominated from that State.
From Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP is retiring nine MPs and getting seven seats, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former Agra Mayor Navin Jain (from a forward community), former State Minister Sangeeta Balwant (hailing from the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC)), former MLA Sadhna Singh (again from the forward community), Amarpal Maurya (from the OBC community) and Chaudhary Tejveer Singh are its nominee. The latter five candidates have maintained a low profile but have worked in the State BJP organisation for a long time; Mr. Maurya and Ms. Balwant contesting the 2022 Assembly polls.
