BJP names candidates for Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal and Uttarakhand

India’s Bharatiya Janata Party has named Rukmini Mallick as its candidate for a Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal and Dinesh Arya as its candidate from Uttarakhand. The party said the names were approved by its central election committee. Elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal are scheduled for October 16.

The poll will cover 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand whose sitting members’ terms end on November 25. It will also include a by-election for one West Bengal seat. The Uttarakhand contest follows the end of BJP member Naresh Bansal’s term.

The West Bengal by-election was required after the resignation of Rukmini Mallick on July 16. Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, is an actor-turned-politician who recently moved to the BJP from the Trinamool Congress. The BJP holds a clear majority in the West Bengal Assembly.

Rajya Sabha members are elected by state legislators rather than through a direct public vote. The source material did not provide further details about the candidates’ campaigns or the expected result. The nominations come as parties prepare for contests across the three states.

The BJP’s selection of candidates establishes its representation in the upcoming round of elections and the West Bengal bypoll. The Rajya Sabha is India’s upper house of Parliament. The source material did not specify whether the nominated candidates currently hold elected office or provide details of their political backgrounds beyond Mallick’s recent party switch.