Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is facing criticism from political rivals over his Rajya Sabha choices, particularly the nomination of Reliance Industries executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani.
BSP chief Mayawati has accused the SP of moving away from its socialist and PDA — Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak — politics by choosing Nathwani and renominating Ram Gopal Yadav, Akhilesh’s uncle. UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar has also attacked the selections.
Why Nathwani’s Name Has Triggered Questions?
The SP named Ram Gopal Yadav and Nathwani as its candidates on September 30. Nathwani is a senior Reliance Industries executive and comes from a family with an established corporate background.
For the SP’s critics, the issue is less about an industrialist entering Parliament and more about the contrast they see between Nathwani’s profile and the party’s PDA-focused political campaign ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
Mayawati alleged that the SP seeks PDA votes but gives important political positions to family members and wealthy individuals. This is her political charge against the SP, rather than an established finding about its motives.
Akhilesh Defends Corporate Choice
Akhilesh has defended Nathwani’s nomination. He argued that socialism requires prosperity and equality and that industries and investment are needed to generate employment. He also described Nathwani as representing a new generation and new thinking.
SP leaders have also invoked socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia while arguing that the nomination does not contradict the party’s ideological position.
Industrialists In Rajya Sabha Are Not New
The broader political record provides important context. Parties across the political spectrum have backed business figures for the Upper House over the years.
Industrialist Rahul Bajaj, for instance, entered the Rajya Sabha in 2006 as an Independent with support from the NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena. Industrialist Anil Ambani had earlier entered the Upper House as an Independent with SP support.
More recently, AAP sent Trident Group founder Rajinder Gupta to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2025. He later joined the BJP in 2026.
Rajya Sabha records also describe Dhanraj’s father, Parimal Nathwani, as an industrialist who has served multiple terms in the Upper House since 2008.
That history makes the Nathwani nomination part of a much wider tradition of political parties bringing business figures into Parliament. The immediate political debate, however, is centred on whether Akhilesh can reconcile that choice with the SP’s current PDA and socialist messaging.
