India, Oct. 5 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, scheduled to be held on October 16, with the party dropping all its sitting MPs from the list, including Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma.

The decision not to renominate Puri has come as a surprise, particularly amid speculation that the Union Petroleum Minister would return to the Upper House. His exclusion also puts an end to weeks of speculation over his candidature.

Another prominent name missing from the list is former Union minister Smriti Irani, whose possible nomination had also been widely discussed in political circles. Notably, There are 10 vacancies from the state, with the B...