BJP Names Dinesh Arya for Uttarakhand, Koyal Malik for West Bengal Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for two Rajya Sabha seats in upcoming elections scheduled for October 16, 2026. Dinesh Arya, a senior BJP organizer from Nainital and former personal relations officer (PRO) to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has been named as the BJP's candidate for Uttarakhand's Rajya Sabha seat. Arya currently serves as vice-chairman of the Uttarakhand State-level Drinking Water Monitoring Council, a position with ministerial rank, which he received in December 2023.

For West Bengal, the BJP has fielded Koyal Malik (real name Rukhmani Malik), a Bengali-language film actress who previously served as a Rajya Sabha member nominated by the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Malik resigned from her TMC-nominated seat on July 16, 2026, creating a vacancy. She subsequently joined the BJP and is now contesting the by-election for the same seat. According to sources, Malik was a prominent member of the Trinamool Congress before switching parties.

The Uttarakhand seat became vacant following the end of incumbent Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal's term on November 25, 2026. Arya's selection came after the BJP's state organization considered approximately 24 candidates before submitting a shortlist of 15 names to the party's central leadership. The BJP holds a clear majority in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, making Arya's election to the upper house considered virtually certain.

These two candidacies are part of a broader slate of Rajya Sabha elections across three states. A total of 12 Rajya Sabha seats will see elections on October 16: 10 from Uttar Pradesh, one from Uttarakhand, and one by-election from West Bengal. The current terms of multiple Rajya Sabha members end on November 25, 2026. Additionally, Uttar Pradesh has one vacancy created by the resignation of Dr. Dinesh Sharma on September 11, 2026. Voting is scheduled for October 16, with counting set for October 27, 2026.