The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday evening released its list of candidates for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, nominating minister Babul Supriyo, former West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy and Bengali actor Koel Mallick.
Announcing the names in a post on X, the party said, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to them. May they continue to uphold Trinamool’s enduring legacy of resilience and its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of every Indian.”
Polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across several states, including West Bengal, is scheduled for 16 March, as per the Election Commission.
Babul Supriyo, a former Union minister, joined the TMC in September 2021 after resigning from the BJP when he was dropped from the Union Council of Ministers. He subsequently won the Ballygunge Assembly bypoll on a TMC ticket and currently serves as a minister in the West Bengal government.
Rajeev Kumar, a retired Indian Police Service officer, previously served as West Bengal’s Director General of Police and earlier as Commissioner of Kolkata Police. He was at the centre of a high-profile standoff between the state government and central investigative agencies during the probe into the Saradha chit fund case.
Menaka Guruswamy is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India. She was part of the legal team that successfully challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, leading to the 2018 judgment that decriminalised consensual same-sex relations.
Koel Mallick is a well-known figure in the Bengali film industry and the daughter of veteran actor Ranjit Mallick. Her selection is seen as part of the party’s broader strategy of nominating prominent public personalities to the Upper House.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal are set to fall vacant in 2026, of which four are currently held by the TMC. With a commanding majority in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, the ruling party is poised to secure four of the five seats. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win the remaining seat.
