The Samajwadi Party has named Reliance Industries executive Dhanraj Nathwani as one of its candidates for the Rajya Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh. Nathwani filed his nomination in Lucknow on Wednesday in the presence of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. He has been named alongside senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav for the October 16 election, which will cover 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Nathwani is a senior executive at Reliance Industries and serves as president of the Gujarat Cricket Association. His responsibilities at Reliance include strategic oversight of the Jamnagar manufacturing divisions and the Jio business in Gujarat, along with leadership of the engineering, procurement and construction vertical and oversight of Reliance Jio Defence System Limited. He also holds positions connected with temple administration, education and wildlife-related institutions.
His nomination also brings attention to the Nathwani family's presence in Parliament. Nathwani's father, Parimal Nathwani, is a Reliance Industries director-corporate affairs and a serving Rajya Sabha member. Parimal Nathwani has represented different states in the Upper House and secured another term in June with the backing of the BJP-led NDA, while his son is now seeking election as an SP candidate in Uttar Pradesh.
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Dhanraj Nathwani announced his candidature in a post on X, expressing gratitude to Akhilesh Yadav and saying that filing his nomination marked a new phase in his public life. His entry into electoral politics follows a career that has included corporate management, sports administration and institutional roles. He became president of the Gujarat Cricket Association in 2022, succeeding Amit Shah, and has continued to be associated with cricket administration in the state.
The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha election is scheduled for October 16, with nominations closing on October 6. The Election Commission has scheduled polling for 10 seats in the state, along with elections to one seat in Uttarakhand and a by-election to one seat in West Bengal. The BJP currently holds eight of the 10 Uttar Pradesh seats going to the polls, while the SP and BSP hold one each.
Nathwani's nomination adds a corporate and institutional profile to the SP's list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha contest. The party has also nominated Ram Gopal Yadav, who has been a Rajya Sabha member continuously since 2004. With the Uttar Pradesh election taking place ahead of the state's 2027 Assembly polls, the nominations have placed renewed focus on the composition of the state's parliamentary representation.
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