 has announced Shubhendu Shekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik){kind=link}
In a major political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Shubhendu Shekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-elections scheduled for July 24, just hours after the three leaders formally joined the party from the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The bypolls were necessitated after all three leaders resigned from their Rajya Sabha seats before switching allegiance to the BJP.
BJP Clears Their Candidature on Day of Joining
The BJP’s Central Election Committee released the list of candidates on Thursday, confirming the nominations of the three former Trinamool MPs.
The swift decision has drawn attention as it marks a notable departure from the party’s earlier position of maintaining distance from leaders defecting from the Trinamool Congress.
The move indicates the BJP leadership’s willingness to back the former TMC parliamentarians immediately, giving them another opportunity to return to the Upper House under the BJP banner.
Shift From BJP’s Earlier Stand
The decision appears to represent a significant change in the BJP’s approach toward former Trinamool leaders.
Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections and in the years that followed, the BJP had repeatedly maintained that it would not welcome leaders from the Trinamool Congress, citing allegations of corruption against the ruling party in the state.
Party leaders had publicly stated that the BJP’s doors would remain closed to Trinamool politicians, making Thursday’s developments a sharp contrast to that earlier position.
Rajya Sabha Bypolls on July 24
With their resignations creating vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, the Election Commission scheduled by-elections for July 24 to fill the seats.
By nominating Shubhendu Shekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik, the BJP has signalled its confidence in the trio while strengthening its parliamentary strategy ahead of the bypolls.
The nominations also underline the evolving political equations in West Bengal, where both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress continue to compete aggressively for political influence.