UP bypolls: BJP shortlists 27 names as possible candidates for nine seats

The BJP has chalked out a list of three contenders each to be made candidates for nine of the 10 seats it is planning to contest in the Uttar Pradesh by-election, sources said.
A meeting of the BJP Core Committee was held on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. Three names each were decided for the nine seats in this meeting.
It was also attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and Organisation General Secretary Dharampal Singh, among other senior party leaders.
The 27 shortlisted names will now be sent to the BJP’s central leadership, which will pick the final nine names as candidates for the nine seats.
Nine of the 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh that fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are Milkipur, Katehari, Majhwan, Phulpur, Khair, Kundarki, Meerapur, Karhal and Ghaziabad seats.
Bypolls to the Sishamau seat were necessitated after the disqualification of Samajwadi party legislator Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.
According to sources, Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) could be given the opportunity to contest the Meerapur seat. Meanwhile, the Nishad Party, led by UP Fisheries Minister Sanjay Nishad, is claiming two seats, but no decision has been taken on it.
On the other hand, former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been holding meetings with every Lok Sabha and district-wise party officials and workers of the Samajwadi Party.
Along with the by-elections, the preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections were also reviewed during Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with the officials of Lalganj Lok Sabha on Monday.
The Election Commission may soon announce dates for the by-elections to the 10 Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh.
It is expected that by-elections may be held in November, because according to the rules, the poll panel has to hold by-polls within six months after the seats fall vacant.