HighLights
  1. BJP nominates actor Koel Mallick for Rajya Sabha from West Bengal.
  2. Mallick previously resigned from Rajya Sabha as a TMC member.
  3. She is the fourth ex-TMC member to join BJP.

Rajya Sabha Elections: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominated actor-turned-politician Koel Mallick for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls from West Bengal on Sunday. The development came months after she resigned from her Upper House membership. The West Bengal bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Mallick, who is popularly known as Koel Mallick, on July 16.

The actor-turned-politician had recently switched to the BJP from the TMC. The BJP has a clear majority in the West Bengal Assembly, which means Mallick will get required votes to re-enter the Upper House.

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Malliick Deserts TMC After Poll Loss

In April, then West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nominated Mallick to the Rajya Sabha. However, months later, after TMC's defeat in the assembly elections, she resigned without attending a single session.

Earlier, Mallick became the fourth TMC Rajya Sabha member to resign after the party lost power in the state. Veteran parliamentarian Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik had earlier quit the TMC, joined the BJP and were subsequently nominated by the saffron party for the three Rajya Sabha vacancies from West Bengal. With the BJP now in power in the state and commanding the necessary numbers in the assembly, the three were elected unopposed and received their certificates from the Assembly secretary in July.

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BJP Picks Dinesh Arya From Uttarakhand For Upper House

The BJP also nominated Dinesh Arya for Rajya Sabha polls from Uttarakhand. The names of the candidates have been approved by the BJP central election committee.

Elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal will be held on October 16. The elections will cover 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, where the terms of the sitting members end on November 25, along with a bypoll to one seat from West Bengal. In Uttarakhand, BJP member Naresh Bansal's term is coming to an end.

(With PTI Inputs)


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