The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced its authorised candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh, naming senior leader Prof Ram Gopal Yadav and industrialist and sports administrator Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani.
Nathwani’s nomination makes him the party’s second candidate for the Upper House. The Samajwadi Party, which has significant strength in the state Assembly, is seeking to secure two seats in the election. Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani is a senior corporate executive associated with Reliance Industries Limited. He has held several positions in the group, including Group President, and has served as a director in entities such as Reliance New Energy Limited. Dhanraj Nathwani studied international business at Regent’s Business School in London and later completed an MBA specialising in corporate law and public relations management from the National Institute of Management. He has also held prominent positions in sports administration. He was involved in the development of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is the world’s largest cricket stadium. He has also served as president of the Gujarat State Football Association.
The two candidates will file their nomination papers at 11 am in the presence of party national president Akhilesh Yadav, according to an official communication shared by the party on social media. Ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to go to polls on October 16, with the nomination process currently underway. In November 2022, he was unanimously elected president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, succeeding Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after previously serving as its vice-president.
