From Reliance to Rajya Sabha: The Nathwanis’ political journey across party lines

New Delhi: Dhanraj Nathwani, son of Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani, being named the Samajwadi Party's RS candidate has surprised political circles, with various calculations being made ahead of the UP Assembly polls.

The development comes three months after his father won a Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand with support from the NDA and some INDIA alliance legislators. Over his 18-year career as a MP, Parimal Nathwani has repeatedly managed to garner support from both ruling and opposition parties.

Also Read: Samajwadi Party's surprise Nathwani choice puts spotlight on BJP's Rajya Sabha picks


Born and brought up in Mumbai, Nathwani initially ran a soap factory and a cold drink distribution business, but shut them down following disputes with partners. He then moved to Vadodara, where he joined the stock exchange and also ran 20 STD/ISD PCOs, including one at the exchange.

The Harshad Mehta scam caused him heavy losses. It was then that Dhirubhai Ambani's office approached him to purchase land from farmers for Reliance's refinery project. Despite having no prior experience, Nathwani built trust with farmers and successfully closed the deals. He was later entrusted with buying flats for Jamnagar refinery employees, further strengthening his association with Reliance.

Over the years, Nathwani built close ties with politicians across parties and became known as someone who could get things moving.

His entry into Parliament was also a surprise to many. In 2008, he filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand, where Madhu Koda was then the chief minister, heading an independent government backed by the Congress and JMM. Rivalry within the UPA led to three nominations - RK Anand, backed by the Congress and RJD; Kishori Lal, backed by the JMM; and independent candidate Nathwani.

In his 2020 article, Modi at 70, Nathwani recalled receiving guidance from Modi before deciding to contest the election.

"When I had decided to fight the Rajya Sabha election from Jharkhand in 2008, I had gone to seek his blessings. He was kind enough to guide me," Nathwani wrote. He said Modi arranged experts to explain the system of primary and secondary votes and later anxiously enquired about the delayed result.

In the election, RK Anand polled 17 votes, Nathwani 16 and Lal eight. As none secured the required majority, the result hinged on second-preference votes. Nathwani secured five second-preference votes from Babulal Marandi's Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and was declared the winner.

Leaders from Jharkhand told ET that Nathwani took his Rajya Sabha role seriously and was the first MP to set up an office in Ranchi.

Also Read: SP names Ramgopal Yadav, Dhanraj Nathwani as candidates for Rajya Sabha, to file nomination on Wednesday

In 2014, he was re-elected as an independent with support from the BJP and its allies.

Nathwani was vice-president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, with Amit Shah as president.

In 2019, Hemant Soren's JMM government came to power in Jharkhand, making Nathwani's re-election appear difficult. On February 29, 2020, Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani travelled to Amravati to meet Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. A week later, Nathwani was announced as the YSR Congress' Rajya Sabha candidate and was subsequently elected from AP.

During the passage of the Waqf Bill in 2025, he defied the party whip and voted in favour of the bilt. The party took no action against him.

In June this year, Nathwani once again returned to Jharkhand as independent candidate backed by NDA. He defeated Congress candidate Pranav Jha by getting votes from the ruling alliance.

He is being termed as everyone's friend and no one's foe by politicians across the party line.

Over the past few years, his son Dhanraj (40) has been active in power circles.