Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has ruled out fielding a third candidate in the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha polls. “Focus on 403, not 3,” he said. He was referring to the 403 assembly seats.

The party has named two candidates. They are Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani. Both filed their nominations in Lucknow.

Nathwani’s father Parimal Nathwani is a four-time Rajya Sabha MP. He is backed by the BJP-led NDA. The choice of a corporate executive has drawn attention.

Ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh are up for election. A candidate needs about 37 first-preference votes. The SP-Congress bloc has 103 votes in the assembly. The SP has around 101 MLAs. The Congress has two.

The bloc’s votes cover two seats. About 29 votes would be left over. A third candidate would need roughly eight more votes. The BJP-led NDA can secure seven seats on its own strength.

Speculation about a surprise third nominee had continued for days. Some SP leaders claimed the party could even win a fourth seat. Akhilesh’s remark ends that speculation. The party will now focus on the 2027 assembly polls.