The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday named former Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma as its candidate for the by-election to a Rajya Sabha from the state.
The by-election, scheduled for September 15, was necessitated due to the death of incumbent BJP MP Hardwar Dubey. The term of the seat is till November 2026.
Sharma’s election is all but certain due to the strong majority the BJP enjoys in the state assembly. Like Dubey, Dinesh Sharma is also from the Brahmin community. Sharma was one of the two deputy chief ministers in the first term of Yogi Adityanath-led government between 2017-22.