Uttarakhand: Dinesh Arya, the official Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Upper House (Rajya Sabha), filed his nomination papers today, October 6, 2026, at the Legislative Assembly complex in Dehradun. He filed his nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt, and party MLAs. A meeting of the BJP legislative party had been convened at 10:00 AM prior to the filing.
Following the formal filing of nomination papers, BJP State President and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt expressed hope that Arya would be elected unopposed. Bhatt stated that the decision has created an atmosphere of enthusiasm among all sections of society and BJP workers in the state.
It is noteworthy that, according to the schedule set by the Election Commission of India, today is the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 7, and the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is October 9, 2026. Subsequently, polling will be held on October 16, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with vote counting commencing at 5:00 PM on the same day.
The term of a Rajya Sabha member is six years. The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house that is never dissolved; one-third (1/3) of its members retire every two years, and new members are elected to replace them. The members elected now will serve a six-year term, lasting until 2032.
The tenure of Naresh Bansal, the sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand, is coming to an end. Bansal had previously reached the Rajya Sabha after being elected unopposed. His term as a Rajya Sabha MP concludes on November 25, 2026.
