Politics
SP drops third Rajya Sabha candidate in Uttar Pradesh
The Indian Express··6d ago
The Samajwadi Party on October 6, 2026 decided against fielding a third candidate for the October 16 Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha polls. The move clears its two nominees and the BJP's eight candidates to be elected unopposed. Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X that the party's eyes are now on 403 Assembly seats, not three Upper House berths.
Prism
What It Means For You
- October 6 was the last day for filing nominations for the 10 vacant UP Rajya Sabha seats.
- With no contest, the listed BJP and SP nominees are set to enter the Upper House unopposed.
- Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are due in February 2027.
What's Happening
- SP has fielded Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance executive Dhananjay Nathwani.
- Each Rajya Sabha candidate needs 37 first-preference votes in the 403-member Assembly.
- SP has 101 MLAs on paper but an effective strength of 100 after Puja Pal's switch.
The Seat Arithmetic in Lucknow
- With two Congress MLAs, SP has 102 votes, nine short of a third berth.
- BJP and NDA allies have an effective tally of 294, two short of eight sure wins.
- Rajya Sabha MLA voting uses an open ballot shown to an authorised party agent.
all-news
