BJP fields Koel Mallick for West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypoll

Kolkata: The BJP has nominated television actress Koel Mallick, whose official name is Rukmini Mallick, as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal, following her shift from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to the saffron party.

Mallick, a popular face in Bengali television, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March but resigned from the Upper House in July, creating the vacancy for which the by-election is being held.

The by-election is scheduled for October 16, coinciding with biennial elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats across the country.

The BJP’s decision to field Mallick comes amid political realignments in West Bengal following the TMC’s defeat in the Assembly elections. Several Rajya Sabha members who had resigned from the TMC, including Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik, were subsequently re-elected to the Upper House as BJP candidates, according to the report.

Mallick’s nomination marks another development in the state’s changing political landscape ahead of the Rajya Sabha bypoll.