Samajwadi Party Nominates Reliance Executive for Rajya Sabha

The Samajwadi Party nominated corporate executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani and party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh on September 30, 2026. Nathwani, the Group President of Reliance Industries and Director of Reliance New Energy Limited, filed his nomination papers in Lucknow alongside Yadav, a founding member of the party and long-time political strategist. The selection of Nathwani fulfills a previous hint from party chief Akhilesh Yadav regarding a surprise candidate.

With support from the Congress party and other INDIA bloc MLAs, the Samajwadi Party has sufficient strength to secure two of the ten seats up for election in Uttar Pradesh. While party leaders ST Hasan and Mohd Hassan Roomi expressed confidence in winning three seats and suggested a third nomination is forthcoming, Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar cautioned the party against risking its second seat in pursuit of a third. Rajbhar questioned if the party's PDA strategy was a cover for nominating wealthy individuals and family members.

Separately, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Election Commission of India and officials colluded to deliberately delete Samajwadi Party votes during the 2022 elections. Uttar Pradesh Minister Danish Azad Ansari criticized the party's agenda, claiming it seeks to spread confusion and hatred. The Election Commission of India has scheduled polling for 11 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand for October 16, with current terms expiring on November 25.