The core committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Uttarakhand unit met to discuss potential candidates for the State's lone Rajya Sabha seat, with elections scheduled for October 16.

State general secretary Deepti Rawat said on Friday (September 25, 2026) that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, State BJP president Mahendra Bhatt, and State general secretary (organisation) Phanindranath Sharma have been entrusted with finalising a panel of potential candidates.

She said the core committee deliberated extensively on all prominent names that have emerged for the seat, which will become vacant when incumbent Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal's tenure ends.

According to Ms. Rawat, around 24 names have come forward as contenders before the core committee, representing all sections of society, including women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the youth.

She said the Chief Minister, the State president, and the State general secretary (organisation) would finalise a panel of three or five names.

During the meeting at the party's headquarters, Ms. Rawat said that core committee members urged party workers to take the message of the government's policies and development initiatives to the public. They were encouraged to strengthen the organisation and work towards securing a third consecutive victory in the 2027 Assembly elections.

The attendees at the meeting included key committee members such as former Union minister and Almora MP Ajay Tamta, former Chief Minister and Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, Tehri MP Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', and Rajya Sabha members Naresh Bansal and Kalpana Saini.