The BJP on Sunday announced names of its candidates for Rajya Sabha polls, fielding Rukmini Mallick from West Bengal and Dinesh Arya from Uttarakhand.

The names of the candidates have 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 West Bengal bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Rukmini Mallick, who is popularly known as Koel Mallick, on July 16. The actor-turned-politician had recently switched to the BJP from the TMC.

The BJP has a clear majority in the West Bengal Assembly.

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