The BJP on Sunday named Bengali actor Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, as its candidate for the October 16 Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal, setting the stage for her return to the same Upper House seat she vacated after resigning as a Trinamool Congress MP in July.
The decision was announced by the BJP’s Central Election Committee in New Delhi. Mallick had entered the Rajya Sabha earlier this year as a TMC nominee but resigned on July 16, shortly after the party lost power in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Return on BJP ticket
Mallick’s candidature completes a striking political turnaround within months. The actor had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and took oath as an MP on April 6 before stepping down in July without attending a parliamentary session.
Her resignation created the vacancy for which the October 16 by-election is being held. She subsequently left the TMC and joined the BJP, which has now chosen her to contest the seat she herself vacated.
BJP holds Assembly advantage
The BJP currently holds 208 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, giving it a clear numerical advantage in the indirect election to the Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabha members representing states are elected by elected members of the respective state Assemblies.
Mallick’s nomination also follows a pattern involving several former TMC Rajya Sabha MPs. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik had earlier resigned from the Upper House, switched to the BJP and subsequently returned to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets.
Brief first stint
Mallick’s first stint in the Rajya Sabha lasted only a few months. She was among the personalities fielded by the TMC for the Upper House earlier this year as the party sought to bring a mix of political, legal and public figures into Parliament.
The Bengali film actor subsequently resigned four months after being elected, with her departure coming amid a series of exits from the TMC following the Assembly elections. Her original Rajya Sabha term had several years remaining when she stepped down.
Voting on October 16
The Election Commission has scheduled elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats for October 16. These comprise biennial elections for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand, along with the West Bengal by-election.
The notification was issued on September 29, while October 6 is the last date for filing nominations. Voting and counting are scheduled for October 16.
The BJP has separately named Dinesh Arya as its candidate from Uttarakhand, where the term of sitting BJP MP Naresh Bansal is coming to an end. The names of both Arya and Mallick were approved by the party’s Central Election Committee.
Actor turned politician
Mallick is one of the most recognisable faces of contemporary Bengali cinema and had largely remained associated with films before entering active politics. Her move into parliamentary politics came when the TMC selected her for the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.
The October 16 bypoll will now give her an opportunity to return to Parliament less than three months after she resigned, but this time as a BJP nominee.