New Delhi: BJP on Sunday announced Rajya Sabha candidate for the Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Party announced Dinesh Arya as its candidate for the 2026 Rajya Sabha biennial election in Uttarakhand and actress-turned-politician Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, for the West Bengal seat.
In Uttarakhand, the election has been necessitated by the completion of the term of sitting Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal.
BJP Picks Candidates For Upper House Polls
Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, recently joined the BJP after leaving the Trinamool Congress. She resigned as a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member in July this year, resulting in a vacancy in the Upper House and necessitating a by-election.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced on September 22 that biennial elections would be held for 11 Rajya Sabha seats, along with a by-election for one West Bengal seat, on October 16.
Of the 11 seats going to polls in the biennial elections, 10 are from Uttar Pradesh and one is from Uttarakhand. The West Bengal contest will be held to fill a casual vacancy in the Rajya Sabha.
Rajya Sabha Election Schedule Announced
The notification for the elections was issued on September 29, with October 6 set as the last date for filing nominations.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 7, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 9.
Polling will be held on October 16 from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting scheduled to begin at 5 pm on the same day.
In Uttar Pradesh, the terms of 10 sitting Rajya Sabha members are due to end. Those whose terms are expiring include Arun Singh, Geeta alias Chandraprabha, Brij Lal, Ram Gopal Yadav, Ramji Gautam, BL Verma, Seema Dwivedi, Dinesh Sharma and Hardeep Singh Puri.
BJP Announces Three Candidates For Maharashtra
The BJP also announced candidates for three Teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.
The party has fielded Smita Yogesh Jadhav from the Pune Division Graduates’ constituency, Sudhakar Vitthalrao Kohle from the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency and Kaustubh Muralidhar Gawde from the Pune Division Teachers’ constituency.
The announcement follows discussions within the ruling alliance over the distribution of the five seats going to polls. According to MahaYuti leaders, the alliance has settled on a 3:1:1 formula for the elections.
MahaYuti Finalises 3:1:1 Seat Formula
Under the arrangement, the BJP will contest three seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will field candidates for one seat and the Shiv Sena will contest the remaining seat.
The NCP has been allotted the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates’ constituency, while the Shiv Sena will contest the Amravati Teachers’ constituency.