Akhilesh Yadav’s surprise Rajya Sabha choice: A top Reliance executive - The Indian Express
Veteran leader Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Industries executive Dhanraj Nathwani are Samajwadi Party’s candidates for the Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. While the selection of Ram Gopal Yadav, a seasoned leader and the uncle of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, was expected, Nathwani’s name came as a surprise, not just to the public, but also within party circles.
Akhilesh Yadav has said he is glad that the Samajwadi Party got an opportunity to send a person from the new generation to the Upper House of Parliament. “Many parties have a footprint in the corporate world. So the Samajwadi Party has also decided to have a Rajya Sabha MP to connect with the business world,” he said.
Nathwani is a senior corporate executive with Reliance Industries. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is currently Group President at the Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate, and also a director at Reliance New Energy Ltd and Reliance Projects & Property Management Services Ltd.
He oversees the Jamnagar Manufacturing Division, one of the world’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical complexes, and also works with the Reliance Jio operations in Gujarat. His responsibilities encompass all domains, including Finance & Accounts, Procurement & Contracts, Information Technology, and Corporate Affairs. He also leads the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction vertical and supervises all construction and infrastructure projects in the Reliance ecosystem. He also oversees Reliance Jio Defence System Limited, which is focusing on high-tech manufacturing of advanced military equipment and aerospace propulsion systems.
He has been associated with Reliance Industries for about 16 years, and has held senior positions, including Group Senior Vice-President. He is also associated with sports administration; his profile lists him as Vice-President of the Gujarat Cricket Association since September 2019. He has also held positions in the Jamnagar District Football Association and other Gujarat-based institutions.
His LinkedIn biography says he has overseen non-technical functions, including finance and accounts, procurement and contracts, human resources, IT, security, corporate affairs and CSR activities at Reliance’s manufacturing divisions. He has also been associated with the Dwarkadhish Temple Administrative Committee.
Nathwani’s father, Parimal Nathwani, is a senior Reliance executive who was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand as an NDA-backed Independent in June 2026. This is his fourth consecutive term in the Upper House.
The Samajwadi Party’s selection of Dhanraj Nathwani, therefore, marks an unusual choice: a corporate executive with strong roots in Gujarat fielded for a Rajya Sabha seat by a political party that has a strong base in Uttar Pradesh. Also interesting is his father’s parliamentary profile and the NDA’s support that put him in the Rajya Sabha for the fourth time.
A total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats are going to polls in Uttar Pradesh on October 16. This election comes months before the Assembly polls and would be seen as an indicator of political equations as parties prepare for the big fight.
In the 403-member Assembly, the ruling NDA has 291 MLAs, including the BJP’s 255. With support of Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik), which has two MLAs, the alliance’s effective strength is 293. The main opposition, Samajwadi Party, has 101 MLAs, and its ally, Congress, has two.
Based on current strength, the BJP-led ruling alliance has the numbers to win eight of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats, and the Samajwadi Party, with the Congress’s support, can win two.
