The Samajwadi Party has decided not to field a third candidate in the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha election. SP president Akhilesh Yadav said the party is now focused not on three Rajya Sabha seats but on all 403 Assembly seats.
The decision clears the way for all 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh to be filled unopposed. The SP has already filed nominations for Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhananjay Parimal Nathwani.
Akhilesh Yadav had earlier indicated that the party could field a third candidate if it had sufficient numbers of MLAs. The party had been assessing the Rajya Sabha election arithmetic based on the support of its legislators.
However, concerns over possible cross-voting subsequently increased within the party. According to reports, the SP was not certain about the support of some legislators, including Rakesh Singh, Abhay Singh and Manoj Pandey. Reports of meetings between Abhay Singh and Rakesh Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath increased uncertainty over the prospects of an SP third candidate.
The party subsequently decided against taking the risk of fielding a third candidate. Akhilesh Yadav's statement is also being linked to the party's strategy for the 2027 Assembly election.
Uttar Pradesh has a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats for which elections were scheduled. The SP has already filed nominations for Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhananjay Parimal Nathwani. The BJP is also set to file nominations for eight candidates.
With the SP deciding not to field a third candidate, the contest has effectively ended. All 10 candidates are therefore set to be elected unopposed. The BJP's candidates include Prakash Pal of Kanpur, who has been nominated by the party for the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, a social media post by Vikas Kishore, son of former BJP MP Kaushal Kishore and state vice-president of the BJP Scheduled Morcha, also drew attention. After the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate list was released, he wrote that one should not stay in a family where parents are not respected.
The post was viewed in connection with his father Kaushal Kishore not receiving a Rajya Sabha ticket. However, Vikas Kishore described it as his personal opinion and denied being upset with the BJP. His statement therefore cannot be considered the official position of the party.
Prakash Pal, who has been named the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate from Kanpur, reached Kanpur on Monday night, visited a temple and offered laddoos to Lord Hanuman. He subsequently criticised the SP's politics.
Pal claimed that the BJP is providing representation to people from different sections and communities. He also took a dig at the SP's PDA and alleged that the party prioritised money while selecting its Rajya Sabha candidates. This was a political allegation by Pal and has not been independently verified.
With the SP withdrawing its third candidate from the Rajya Sabha election, political discussion has now shifted towards the 2027 Assembly election. Akhilesh Yadav's statement that the party is focusing on all 403 seats is being viewed as an indication of its strategy going forward.
