The nomination process for four Trinamool Congress candidates and one Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal has concluded at the state Assembly. West Bengal will be electing a total of five Rajya Sabha seats this time. The Trinamool Congress and BJP are expected to secure four and one seat, respectively, based on their current strength in the Assembly.
The five candidates who filed nominations are likely to be elected unopposed, pending scrutiny and withdrawal processes. The nominations will undergo scrutiny on March 6, with the withdrawal deadline set for March 9. The formal declaration of elected candidates will follow these procedures.
Among the Trinamool Congress candidates are former West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Information Technology Minister Babul Supriyo, advocate Menaka Guruswamy, and actress Koel Mallick. The BJP candidate who filed nomination is Rahul Sinha, the party’s former national secretary and state president of West Bengal.
Three Rajya Sabha seats became vacant due to the completion of terms for sitting Trinamool Congress members, while the fourth seat was vacated by former Trinamool Congress MP Mausam Benazir Noor who joined the Congress. The term of CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya is also ending, with the BJP expected to secure that seat.
