BJP Names Koel Mallick as Rajya Sabha Candidate

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated popular Bengali actress Koel Mallick for the Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal after she resigned as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of the Upper House. The party announced her name on Sunday (October 4).

Mallick resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 16. The by-election to the seat she vacated is scheduled for October 16, according to the election schedule.

She had earlier entered the Rajya Sabha as a TMC nominee and took oath as a member on April 6. However, she did not attend any parliamentary session before resigning from the Upper House just a few months later.

Before Mallick, three other former TMC Rajya Sabha members—Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik—had also resigned. The BJP subsequently nominated them for Rajya Sabha by-elections.

Speculation about Mallick’s political future intensified after her resignation, particularly following a meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav. The BJP’s announcement on Sunday has now confirmed her candidacy for the vacant West Bengal seat.

The BJP also announced Dinesh Arya as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha election in Uttarakhand. Voting for the relevant Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled for October 16.

Mallick’s nomination marks another step in her transition from the Bengali film industry into active politics. Attention will now turn to the October 16 election for the West Bengal Rajya Sabha seat.