BJP drops sitting MPs from UP Rajya Sabha list: Hardeep Puri, BL Verma among those out

Hardeep Singh Puri: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is among the most prominent names missing from the BJP's new Rajya Sabha list for Uttar Pradesh. Puri, the Union petroleum and natural gas minister, has been a Rajya Sabha member from the state, and his current term is set to end on November 25. He was first elected to the Upper House in 2018. (Image: Reuters)

BL Verma: Union Minister of State BL Verma has also not been given a Rajya Sabha ticket this time. Verma, who is associated with the Lodhi community, is currently a Union Minister of State, and his Rajya Sabha term from Uttar Pradesh is due to end in November. (Image: BL Verma/Facebook)

Arun Singh: BJP leader Arun Singh is another sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh who has been left out of the new list. Singh's term is among those ending on November 25, with the BJP choosing a completely new set of candidates for the eight seats it is contesting. (Image: Arun Singh official page)

Seema Dwivedi: Seema Dwivedi, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, has also not been renominated. Her term is due to end on November 25 along with the other outgoing BJP members from the state. (Image: Seema Dwivedi/Facebook)

Neeraj Shekhar: Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, is another outgoing BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh who has not been renominated. His term is also set to end on November 25. (Image: Neeraj Shekhar/Facebook)

Brijlal: Brijlal, a former IPS officer and BJP Rajya Sabha MP, is also missing from the party's latest list. His Rajya Sabha term from Uttar Pradesh is among those ending in November. (Image: Brijlal/Facebook)

Geeta Shakya: Geeta Shakya, also known as Chandraprabha, is the seventh sitting BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh who has not been renominated. Her term is scheduled to end on November 25. (Image: Geeta Shakya/Instagram)

Dinesh Sharma: Dinesh Sharma is not among the MPs dropped from the BJP's new list. His Rajya Sabha seat became vacant on September 11 after he resigned from the Upper House following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The BJP has now named eight new candidates for the October 16 Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. The nominees are Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)