Kolkata, March 3 – The West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced on Tuesday that Rahul Sinha, a former National Secretary and former State President of the party, would be its candidate for the Rajya Sabha from the state.
"Rahul Sinha nominated as BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha. He is a well-known political figure in West Bengal and a senior leader of the BJP's West Bengal unit. He has also served as the former State BJP President. During his tenure, the BJP's organizational base in the state was strengthened, and the party took an active role in various movements. He is known for his outspoken and vocal political stance. He has also served his duties as BJP's National Secretary with dedication. His presence as a strong Opposition voice in West Bengal politics is notable," a statement issued by the West Bengal unit of the BJP said.
Of the five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal for which elections will be held on March 16, the ruling Trinamool Congress is set to win four comfortably, and the BJP will have to settle for one, according to the numerical strengths of the two parties in the state Assembly.
The Trinamool Congress had already announced its four candidates for the Rajya Sabha last week.
If no other candidate files a nomination during the interim period, there will be no election, and the four candidates of the Trinamool Congress and one of the BJP will automatically be elected to the Upper House of Parliament.
The four Trinamool Congress candidates are former West Bengal Police Director General Rajeev Kumar; current West Bengal Information Technology Minister and singer-cum-actor-turned politician Babul Supriyo; senior Supreme Court advocate Menaka Guruswamy, who is a leading face in the country's Queer movement; and popular Bengali actress Koel Mallick.
Of the five Rajya Sabha seats, three have fallen vacant with the end of the current terms of sitting Trinamool Congress members, namely Subrata Bakshi, Ritabrata Banerjee, and Saket Gokhale.
The fourth seat, which is becoming vacant, is that of the erstwhile Trinamool Congress MP, Mausam Benazir Noor, who resigned from the Rajya Sabha and joined the Congress recently.
Given the Trinamool Congress' existing numerical strength in the West Bengal Assembly, the party will comfortably get its candidates elected from these four seats.
The term of CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya is also ending.
Since the CPI-M has no strength in the West Bengal Assembly now, the BJP will easily get its lone candidate elected from that seat.