BJP fields three TMC Rajya Sabha members for Bengal bypolls

In a swift political maneuver, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday nominated three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha members as its candidates for upcoming bypolls, mere hours after formally inducting them into the party in Kolkata. The move targets the opposition party’s core support base following its recent defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.

The three leaders-Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Prakash Chik Baraik-joined the BJP at a ceremony presided over by state party president Samik Bhattacharya. They had resigned from the Upper House and quit the Trinamool Congress last month, citing the party’s electoral loss and, in some cases, broader governance issues. The by-elections to fill the vacancies they created are scheduled for July 24.

Bhattacharya described the induction as a joyous occasion and said the experience of the former parliamentarians would strengthen the BJP’s organization in the state. He stated the leaders had placed their faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state BJP president framed the move as an exception to the party’s post-election stance of closing its doors to Trinamool leaders, arguing that these...