BJP fields Dinesh Arya for Uttarakhand, Koel Mallick for Bengal Rajya Sabha polls
Synopsis
Koel Mallick's defection from TMC just months ago now has a direct electoral payoff — the BJP has named her as its Rajya Sabha candidate from West Bengal, turning her high-profile party switch into a test of the BJP's arithmetic in a state where TMC dominates the Assembly.
Key Takeaways
BJP named Dinesh Arya as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Uttarakhand on 4 October 2026 .
Actress-turned-politician Rukmini Mallick (Koel Mallick) is the BJP's pick for the West Bengal Rajya Sabha by-election after resigning from TMC in July 2026 .
The ECI has scheduled polling for 16 October ; nominations close on 6 October .
10 of the 11 biennial seats are from Uttar Pradesh , where multiple sitting members' terms are expiring.
BJP also fielded three candidates for Maharashtra Legislative Council polls under a 3:1:1 MahaYuti seat-sharing formula.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, 4 October 2026 named Dinesh Arya as its candidate for the 2026 Rajya Sabha biennial election from Uttarakhand and actress-turned-politician Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, for the by-election from West Bengal. Both seats go to the polls on 16 October.
Why These Seats Are Up for Election
The Uttarakhand vacancy arises from the completion of the term of sitting Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal. The West Bengal seat became vacant after Rukmini Mallick resigned as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha member in July 2026, following her switch to the BJP — a move that forced a by-election to fill the casual vacancy in the Upper House.
Key Dates and Election Schedule
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on 22 September that biennial elections for 11 Rajya Sabha seats — along with the West Bengal by-election — would be held on 16 October. The election notification was issued on 29 September, with nominations closing on 6 October. Scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for 7 October, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is 9 October. Polling will run from 9 am to 4 pm on 16 October, with vote counting beginning at 5 pm the same day.
Uttar Pradesh: Ten Seats in Play
Of the 11 biennial seats, 10 are from Uttar Pradesh, where the terms of sitting members are expiring. Those vacating their seats include Arun Singh, Geeta alias Chandraprabha, Brij Lal, Ram Gopal Yadav, Ramji Gautam, B.L. Verma, Seema Dwivedi, Dinesh Sharma, and Hardeep Singh Puri. The scale of the UP exercise makes it the largest single-state component of this round of Rajya Sabha polls.
BJP Also Names Candidates for Maharashtra Council Polls
Earlier on the same day, the BJP announced its nominees for three Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies in the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council election. The party has fielded Smita Yogesh Jadhav from the Pune Division Graduates' constituency, Sudhakar Vitthalrao Kohle from the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency, and Kaustubh Muralidhar Gawde from the Pune Division Teachers' constituency.
The announcements follow seat-sharing talks within the ruling MahaYuti alliance, which has reportedly finalised a 3:1:1 formula for the five seats at stake. Under this arrangement, the BJP will contest three seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will contest the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' constituency, and the Shiv Sena will take the Amravati Teachers' constituency.
With nominations closing in days and polling set for 16 October, all parties are expected to finalise their candidate lists imminently.
Point of View
And fielding her in a Rajya Sabha by-election converts that symbolism into an institutional foothold. The BJP wins either way: victory gives it a seat in a state it struggles to penetrate legislatively; defeat still keeps Mallick's profile in the news ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly cycle. In Uttarakhand, the Dinesh Arya candidacy is routine consolidation in a state the BJP controls comfortably. The Maharashtra Council announcements, meanwhile, signal that the MahaYuti alliance's internal arithmetic — always fragile — has held at least on paper for this round.
NationPress
4 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Koel Mallick and why is she contesting the Rajya Sabha election?
Koel Mallick, whose full name is Rukmini Mallick, is a Bengali actress who entered politics with the Trinamool Congress. She resigned her TMC Rajya Sabha membership in July 2026 and joined the BJP, which has now nominated her for the resulting West Bengal by-election to be held on 16 October 2026.
Why is there a Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal?
The West Bengal seat fell vacant after Rukmini Mallick (Koel Mallick) resigned as a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member in July 2026 following her switch to the BJP. Under constitutional rules, a casual vacancy in the Upper House requires a by-election to fill the seat.
When is the Rajya Sabha election scheduled and what are the key dates?
Polling is scheduled for 16 October 2026, from 9 am to 4 pm, with vote counting beginning at 5 pm the same day. Nominations close on 6 October, scrutiny is on 7 October, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is 9 October.
Which states have Rajya Sabha seats going to polls in this cycle?
Eleven seats are part of the biennial elections — ten from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand — where sitting members' terms are expiring. Additionally, a by-election will be held for one seat from West Bengal to fill the casual vacancy left by Koel Mallick's resignation.
What is the MahaYuti seat-sharing formula for Maharashtra Legislative Council polls?
The ruling MahaYuti alliance has reportedly agreed on a 3:1:1 formula for the five seats at stake. The BJP will contest three seats — including Pune Division Graduates' and Nagpur Division Graduates' and Pune Division Teachers' constituencies — while the NCP contests Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' and Shiv Sena contests Amravati Teachers'.
