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A founding member of SP and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s chief political strategist, Ram Gopal has been in Rajya Sabha continuously since 2004. He has stood with Akhilesh through thick and thin and sided with him during the battle for supremacy within the Yadav clan in the run-up to the 2017 assembly polls. A 1978-batch IAS officer and UPSC topper, Alok Ranjan is an IIM Ahmedabad graduate who contested the 2024 Rajya Sabha polls as an SP candidate. Sources in SP said the names of the two confirmed candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls were likely to be formally announced on Oct 4, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is Oct 6. Brij Bhushan was a sitting BJP MP when he was denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls after women wrestlers accused him of sexual harassment while he was president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). A Delhi court acquitted him in the case on Aug 3, 2026. SP backing Brij Bhushan — whose younger son Karan is a sitting BJP MP from Kaiserganj and elder son Prateek is a BJP MLA from the Gonda Sadar seat — may come as an embarrassment for BJP ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.
Recently, at a news conference, when asked about the possible third candidate, Akhilesh said the party may “spring a surprise” this time, leading to speculation over the identity of the third candidate. Lucknow: With numbers in hand to see two of its candidates sail through the Rajya Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party is likely to spring a surprise by fielding a third candidate in the fray. Among the first two candidates, the name of party secretary general Ram Gopal Yadav is on top. The second name doing the rounds is that of retired IAS officer and former chief secretary Alok Ranjan . Apart from having served as chief secretary, Alok Ranjan has also served as an adviser to then CM Akhilesh Yadav . Within SP, he has been a dependable policy strategist who helped draft key policy manifestos. As per the numbers, SP has enough INDIA bloc MLAs to see two of its candidates through in Rajya Sabha and will need support from some outside MLAs for a third candidate. The name of the possible third candidate, however, remains a closely guarded secret that party president Akhilesh Yadav has kept to himself. Speculation is rife that SP may back Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, the political heavyweight from Gonda. However, four women wrestlers have since challenged the acquittal in court. Given Brij Bhushan’s influence in Gonda and surrounding districts, he may be able to secure the numbers needed to get through with SP’s support.