Lucknow: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Rajya Sabha list for Uttar Pradesh is still awaited, and one name being discussed could change the political arithmetic between the BJP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. RLD chief and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary is being considered as a possible BJP-backed candidate for the Upper House.
The possibility is unusual because Jayant presently serves as a Rajya Sabha member. He was elected from Uttar Pradesh in 2022 with the support of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and has a term until July 2028. He is now part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and serves as a Union minister.
Reports from Uttar Pradesh suggest the BJP could nominate Jayant from its quota in the October 16 Rajya Sabha election. If that happens, he would have to resign from his existing seat before taking up the new term. That could create an opening for the RLD to secure another Rajya Sabha seat for the balance of the minister’s ongoing term.
The possibility has also led to reports about Jayant’s wife Charu Chaudhary being considered for the seat. One proposal being discussed is that the vacant RLD seat could go to another senior party leader or Charu after Jayant moves to a new seat.
The BJP is expected to win eight of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats being contested from Uttar Pradesh. Seven sitting BJP members are completing their terms, while another seat fell vacant after Dinesh Sharma resigned following his appointment as the lieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is expected to win two seats on its present numbers.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 397 members. Each Rajya Sabha candidate needs 37 first-preference votes. The BJP-led NDA has the numbers to secure eight seats in the October 16 election.
That leaves the party with room to use one of its nominations for a broader political purpose. Party sources said that the central leadership is considering several names, including Smriti Irani, Harish Dwivedi and Varun Gandhi. Eight names are expected from the BJP list.
A nomination for Jayant would therefore have importance for the BJP-RLD relationship in Uttar Pradesh. The alliance has a strong presence in western UP, where the RLD has traditionally enjoyed support from Jats and farmers.
‘Chavanni’ jibe
Jayant’s political journey from an SP-backed Rajya Sabha member to a minister in the NDA has also become part of his equation with Akhilesh Yadav.
The two parties had an alliance during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Jayant entered the Rajya Sabha that year with the SP support. He later moved towards the BJP-led alliance, and his equation with Akhilesh became increasingly political.
The SP chief has repeatedly criticised him after the RLD joined the NDA. In a recent statement, he said, “We turned him from a four-anna coin into a rupee,” claiming that his party had helped elevate Jayant politically.
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A BJP-backed Rajya Sabha nomination for Jayant would give the RLD chief a new political route in the Upper House. It would also provide the party with another way to reinforce its alliance with the RLD ahead of the 2027 assembly election.
The numbers around Jayant’s existing Rajya Sabha seat are important to the speculation. His present term runs until July 2028. A new nomination from the BJP would require him to give up that seat. The vacant seat would then have to be filled for the rest of its term through a another election.
This is where the possibility of two RLD members in the Rajya Sabha has emerged. Jayant could enter the Upper House for a new term, while the RLD could seek another nominee for the seat he vacates.
The move could also have a bearing on negotiations over the upcoming assembly election. The two parties would have to settle their seat-sharing formula before that contest, and Rajya Sabha representation could feature in those talks.
The BJP has been reviewing caste and regional equations while finalising its Uttar Pradesh candidates. The party is considering new faces along with existing members as it prepares for the October 16 election.
The RLD’s political base in western Uttar Pradesh gives Jayant a value in the BJP’s 2027 calculations. The party won both Lok Sabha seats it contested in the region in the 2024 election and strengthened its position within the NDA.
The BJP suffered losses in several parts of Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Its alliance strategy in western UP is an important part of its preparations for the assembly election. The RLD has been seeking to consolidate its position among Jats, farmers and other communities in the region.
A Rajya Sabha nomination for Jayant would give the BJP an opportunity to reinforce the political standing of its alliance partner. A second RLD seat in the Upper House would give the party greater representation in Parliament.
The Election Commission has scheduled voting for the 10 Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha seats on October 16. Voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, followed by counting the same day. The last date for filing nominations is October 6.
Bureau Report
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