The sudden entry of Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani , a corporate executive with Gujarat connections, as a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate has spiced up the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Nathwani, a senior corporate executive associated with Reliance Industries, was a surprise choice for a party when the names doing the rounds included former chief secretary Alok Ranjan and former Union minister Salim Iqbal Sherwani, besides five-term Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav. Besides his corporate role, Nathwani is president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, a position he took over after Union home minister Amit Shah . His father, Parimal Nathwani, is a BJP -backed Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand.
“With the state heading into a high-stakes assembly battle, the choice of a corporate figure with extensive business and institutional networks, could potentially help the SP widen its access to resources,” a BJP leader said.
