Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party on Friday announced its nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, fielding party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav and corporate executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, as the party sharpens its strategy ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
The announcement, made on October 2, puts to rest weeks of speculation over the party’s choices for the Upper House. Ram Gopal Yadav, the party’s national general secretary and a long-serving Rajya Sabha member, gets another term, while Nathwani’s nomination marks a notable corporate entry into the party’s parliamentary ranks.
The nominations come at a politically charged moment. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party ahead of its 33rd foundation day on October 4, accusing it of “politics of casteism” and claiming the SP “cannot tolerate” the BSP’s progress.
Meanwhile, the SP’s alliance arithmetic with the Congress has run into trouble. The Congress has demanded 150 seats from the SP for the UP assembly polls, a figure the SP leadership has flatly rejected. A Samajwadi Party MP said even 50 seats would be “too many”, signalling tough negotiations ahead within the INDIA bloc.
The Congress, for its part, is trying to rebuild its organisation in the state. Last month it appointed Aradhana Misra as the new Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, replacing the outgoing leadership in Lucknow.
Political observers say the SP’s Rajya Sabha choices reflect a dual strategy: rewarding organisational loyalty through Ram Gopal Yadav while reaching out to professional and business circles with Nathwani’s nomination. The move also signals the party’s intent to broaden its social and economic base beyond its traditional support.
The Rajya Sabha elections will be watched closely as a test of the opposition’s unity in Uttar Pradesh. With the BJP firmly in control of the state assembly, the SP is counting on its numbers to secure both seats, but the real battle, party leaders admit, lies in the seat-sharing talks that will define the opposition’s challenge in 2027.
The biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh are held to fill seats falling vacant on the retirement of members. With its strength in the 403-member assembly, the SP is confident of winning both seats it is contesting, though the BJP’s overwhelming majority means the ruling party will claim the lion’s share of the state’s Upper House berths.
Akhilesh Yadav, who took over the party’s reins from his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, has been working to reposition the SP as the principal opposition force in the state. The foundation day event on October 4 is expected to draw large crowds, with the party chief likely to target both the BJP government and the Congress over the seat-sharing impasse.
For now, the SP leadership appears focused on keeping its flock together. The party’s foundation day celebrations on October 4 are expected to set the tone for its campaign, with Akhilesh Yadav likely to spell out the party’s roadmap for the assembly elections.
