PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from Uttarakhand, Dinesh Arya was elected unopposed on Friday. The secretary ( in-charge) of Vidhan Sabha and the Rajya Sabha election returning officer Hem Chandra Pant handed over the victory certificate to Arya at the Vidhan Sabha on the day. The chief electoral officer, Uttarakhand BVRC Purushottam, Mastu Das, officers of Vidhan Sabha secretariat and BJP workers were present on the occasion. Arya will replace Naresh Bansal of BJP whose six year term is ending on November 25. The names of many senior leaders of State BJP were making rounds for the RS vacancy but the party surprised everyone by nominating Arya, a lesser known and low profile leader for the position. Arya’s nomination and his election is being considered as part of a strategy of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to counter the Dalit card played by the opposition Congress by raising the purification of the ground after the public meeting of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani. Dalits constitute about 20 per cent of the electorate in Uttarakhand and BJP hopes that sending Arya to the upper house will give a positive message to the community ahead of the crucial Vidhan Sabha elections in 2027. The president of Uttarakhand BJP Mahendra Bhatt congratulated Arya for his election to Rajya Sabha. He said that Arya will become a strong voice for the downtrodden sections of the society in the upper house. Bhatt said the selection of Arya is a testimony of his dedication towards the party organisation.