Ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections for five West Bengal seats on March 16, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday named its 4 candidates.

The TMC candidates include Babul Supriyo, former Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, Menaka Guruswamy and Koel Mallick. TMC announced the names of candidates in a post on X. The party said, "We are pleased to announce the candidature of Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar (Former DGP, West Bengal), Menaka Guruswamy and Koel Mallick for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections."

"May they continue to uphold Trinamool's enduring legacy of resilience and its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of every Indian," it said.

Supriyo was in the BJP before he switched sides and joined the TMC in 2021. He is currently a minister in the CM Mamata Banerjee cabinet. Kumar, on the other hand, has served as the Director General of Police (DGP) and earlier as the Commissioner of Kolkata Police.

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While Guruswamy is a prominent Supreme Court advocate, Mallick is a well-known actor in the Bengali film industry.

This selection is being seen as a strategy to more strongly raise the voice of Bengal in the upcoming parliamentary session. The party high command has wished all these candidates well and expressed hope that they will effectively raise issues of public interest in the upper house of Parliament.

The most prominent name on this list is ex-DGP Rajeev Kumar. His role during the investigations into the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams has long been controversial.

In 2019, when the CBI attempted to question him, CM Mamata led an unprecedented protest in Kolkata in his support, calling it a "fight to save the Constitution." He faced serious allegations of tampering with evidence during the investigation.

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The party's decision is being seen as a clear political message amid pressure from central investigating agencies. The recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the premises of political consultancy firm I-PAC also witnessed high political drama.

CM Mamata, along with Rajeev Kumar, who was the DGP then, had personally visited the spot and protested against the action, following which the ED had termed it as 'misuse of power' in the Supreme Court and had also issued a notice.