RS polls: BJP fields Dinesh Arya from Uttarakhand

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (October 4, 2026) has decided to field senior leader Dinesh Arya from Uttarakhand for Rajya Sabha polls. The name of the candidate has been approved by the BJP central election committee, the Party said. Elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal will be held on October 16. The elections will cover 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, where the terms of the sitting members end on November 25, along with a bypoll to one seat from West Bengal. In Uttarakhand, BJP member Naresh Bansal's term is coming to an end. The BJP has a clear majority in the West Bengal Assembly.