New Delhi, Oct. 9 -- The BJP secured eight of Uttar Pradesh's 10 Rajya Sabha seats, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) won the remaining two, with all candidates declared elected unopposed on Friday. In separate developments, BJP candidates Dinesh Arya in Uttarakhand and actor-turned-politician Koel Mallick in West Bengal also won unopposed, completing the process ahead of the October 16 polling date, which became unnecessary after no contest remained in the respective races.

In Uttar Pradesh, two independent candidates had their nomination papers rejected during scrutiny, while no candidate withdrew before the deadline. Returning Officer Ajit Verma, who is also the Special Secretary of the state Assembly, formally declared the 10 candidates elected.

The BJP's successful candidates are state minister Dharampal Singh, party OBC Morcha chief Prakash Pal, Shruti Gangwar, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Priyanka Rawat, Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan. The SP's representatives are senior leader Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, an executive associated with Reliance Industries.

Dharampal Singh dedicated his election to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, his political mentor and a leader from the Lodh community. His nomination comes as Union minister BL Verma, another Kalyan Singh protege from the same community, completes his Rajya Sabha term on November 25. Dharampal paid tribute to Kalyan Singh's statue after receiving his election certificate and said the BJP would win the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Prakash Pal said he would raise issues concerning Uttar Pradesh and the country in Parliament after spending 36 years handling party responsibilities. He predicted that the BJP would retain its electoral advantage in the state.

The terms of 10 Uttar Pradesh members expire on November 25. Their departure will end the BSP's representation in the Rajya Sabha from the state. The seat held by former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma has also remained vacant since September 11, following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In Uttarakhand, Dinesh Arya was elected unopposed after no other party fielded a candidate. A BJP leader from Haldwani, he is considered close to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and succeeds Naresh Bansal, whose term ends on November 25.

In West Bengal, Koel Mallick, whose official name is Rukmini Mallick, returned to the Rajya Sabha as a BJP candidate. She had resigned in July, three months after entering the Upper House as a Trinamool Congress nominee, following the party's defeat in the state Assembly elections. She joined the BJP on October 5 after the party announced her candidature the previous day.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.