Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday took a swipe at the Samajwadi Party over its declaration of springing a surprise by fielding a third candidate, declaring that it would be the BJP that will deliver the surprise in the Rajya Sabha polls.
Speaking to reporters, the Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM declared that 25 of their MLAs are in touch with the BJP.
“We will surprise them. 25 of their MLAs are in touch with us,” said Maurya.
Maurya’s remarks came after Samajwadi Party candidates Professor Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani filed their nomination papers today for the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accompanied the two candidates during the nomination filing as the party formally entered the contest for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. The party had earlier announced Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani as its two nominees from Uttar Pradesh.
Ahead of the nomination filing, Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar took a dig at the SP’s candidate selection and questioned whether the nominees represented the party’s PDA (Pichhada, Dalit, Alpashankhyak) formulation.
In a post on X, Rajbhar said, “Akhilesh ji, I’ve heard you’re going to field three candidates for the Rajya Sabha. Tell me, will all three be from your ‘PDA’ or not?”
Rajbhar also cautioned the SP against attempting to secure a third seat, saying it should not risk losing its second seat in the process.
The Election Commission had earlier announced that polling for 11 Rajya Sabha seats, including 10 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, will be held on October 16. The terms of the sitting members from the two states are scheduled to expire on November 25.
The nomination process for the biennial elections is underway, with candidates required to complete the filing process within the schedule announced by the Election Commission.