Uttarakhand BJP shortlists contenders for state’s Rajya Sabha seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttarakhand unit has begun narrowing its choice of candidates for the state’s sole Rajya Sabha seat, with the election scheduled for October 16. The party’s core committee met at its headquarters to discuss potential nominees. State general secretary Deepti Rawat said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state president Mahendra Bhatt and state general secretary for organisation Phanindranath Sharma had been tasked with finalising a panel.

Rawat said about 24 names had emerged during the deliberations. She said the contenders represented different sections of society, including women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and young people. The panel will contain either three or five names, according to Rawat.

The seat is due to fall vacant when the term of incumbent Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal ends. The meeting also included senior BJP figures, among them former Union minister and Almora MP Ajay Tamta, former chief minister and Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt and Tehri MP Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah. Former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, along with Rajya Sabha members Bansal and Kalpana Saini, also attended.

The core committee’s discussions took place alongside organisational preparations for the next Uttarakhand Assembly election. Rawat said party workers had been asked to communicate the government’s policies and development initiatives to the public. Workers were also encouraged to strengthen the organisation and work towards securing what the party described as a third consecutive victory in the 2027 Assembly elections.

The source does not identify the names under consideration or indicate when the final candidate will be announced. It reports only that Dhami, Bhatt and Sharma will complete the panel from the names discussed by the committee.