The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday announced the names of journalist Sagarika Ghose, party leader Sushmita Dev, two-time Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque and Mamata Bala Thakur for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from the state.
Ghose is yet to officially join the TMC.
“We are pleased to announce the candidature of @sagarikaghose, @SushmitaDevAITC, @MdNadimulHaque6 and Mamata Bala Thakur for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections”, the party posted on X.
“We extend our heartfelt wishes to them and may they work towards upholding Trinamool’s enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy for the rights of every Indian”, it said.
Elections to the five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal will be held on February 27.
The party has not renominated three sitting MPs — Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santanu Sen.
Former Congress leader Dev, who had joined the TMC in 2021, has been the party’s Rajya Sabha MP from October 2021 to August 2023, after TMC leader Manas Bhunia vacated the seat to join the West Bengal cabinet.
With the TMC enjoying a comfortable majority of 217 in the 294-member assembly, including the support of six BJP MLAs who defected to the ruling party but are yet to resign, the party’s dominance in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections seems assured.
Though the official tally of the BJP in the assembly is 74, unofficially it is 68, owing to defections.
As per the strength in the assembly, out of the five Rajya Sabha seats, the TMC is set to claim four, while the BJP will secure the fifth.