Samajwadi Party to field third Rajya Sabha candidate, MLA says

The Samajwadi Party will field a third candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh, setting up a contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party, party MLA Ravidas Mehrotra announced on Monday. The decision sets the stage for a keen contest as the Bharatiya Janata Party named eight nominees.

Nomination Filings at Vidhan Bhavan

The Samajwadi Party’s third nominee will file papers at the Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday, which marks the final day for filing nominations for the October 16 election, according to Ravidas Mehrotra. Signatures of 10 MLAs were secured on Monday to act as proposers, with Mehrotra confirming that he also signed as a proposer. The party leadership has not yet publicly revealed the identity of the third candidate.

So far, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party has officially named two candidates: party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, who is pursuing a sixth term, and Reliance executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani. Both filed their nomination papers on September 30 with party chief Akhilesh Yadav present.

Legislative Numbers and Vote Math in Uttar Pradesh

The assembly currently holds an effective strength of 397 legislators following recent vacancies. Under the single transferable vote system, each candidate requires 37 first-preference votes to secure a seat. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA commands a combined strength in the high 280s to around 290-plus, driven by the BJP’s roughly 255 MLAs alongside various allies. This positions the ruling coalition to comfortably secure seven seats while aiming for an eighth seat, which would necessitate approximately six extra votes beyond its core strength.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party holds about 100 to 101 MLAs—with Chail MLA Pooja Pal remaining listed under the Samajwadi Party in official records despite joining the BJP—alongside the support of two Congress MLAs. While these numbers comfortably guarantee two seats, securing a third candidate requires roughly 10 to 12 or more additional votes, potentially relying on cross-voting.

Upcoming Election Schedule

Voting for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh is scheduled for October 16, pending the outcome of the nomination process. Scrutiny of the nomination papers is set for October 7, followed by the withdrawal deadline on October 9. The terms of the sitting members are due to expire on November 25.