New Delhi, Oct. 6 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced the names of eight candidates, including minister Dharampal Singh, for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, dropping Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and all others who are set to complete their terms next month.

Among the Rajya Sabha members retiring from the state are BJP leaders Hardeep Singh Puri, BL Verma, Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal and Seema Dwivedi, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP's Ramji Gautam.

Elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal will be held on 16 October.

Neeraj Shekhar is the son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.

Neeraj, 57, inherited a poli...