New Delhi: Amidst the preparations for the Rajya Sabha elections, BJP made a big announcement on Sunday and made public the names of its candidates. Among the two names approved by the party's Central Election Committee for the elections to be held in Uttarakhand and West Bengal, a well-known film face is also included, who had recently entered politics.
The party has named Dinesh Arya as its candidate for the 2026 Rajya Sabha biennial elections to be held in Uttarakhand. Rukmini Mallik, also known as Koel Mallik, has been given ticket for the Rajya Sabha by-election to be held in West Bengal. It is noteworthy that voting for a total of 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand as well as one seat from West Bengal will be held on October 16 between 9 am to 4 pm, and the results will also be declared on the same day.
Why are elections being held in Uttarakhand?
Election on this seat of Uttarakhand has become necessary because the current BJP MP Naresh Bansal is going to retire from Rajya Sabha in November this year, due to which new elections are being held to take his place.
The real reason for by-elections in Bengal
The West Bengal seat is lying vacant after Koel Mallik resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 16, 2026, while his tenure was originally to last till 2032. Interestingly, Koyal was the fourth MP to resign in July 2026, before her Sukhendu Shekhar Rai, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik had also resigned, and all three later joined the BJP and won re-election.
Who is Koyal Mallik?
Koyal, daughter of Bengal's famous actor Ranjit Mallick, had entered active politics just a month before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. His nomination was considered a part of Mamata Banerjee's old tradition, under which she has been bringing well-known personalities to Parliament. However, it is worth noting that Koyal did not participate in even a single meeting of the Parliament.
This entire incident is related to the political turmoil in West Bengal after the victory of BJP in the 2026 assembly elections. After Ritabrata Banerjee became the leader of the opposition with the support of 57 MLAs, the rebellion started in TMC, which later reached both the houses of Parliament and many leaders joined the BJP-led NDA.
Given the strong majority of the BJP in the Uttarakhand Assembly, the party seems to be in a strong position to retain its seat there. Similarly, due to BJP's strong hold in the West Bengal Assembly, the party is being considered a strong contender for victory there too.