BJP has announced the names of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha by-polls in West Bengal.
The by-polls to these seats will be held on the 24th of this month. The three leaders joined the BJP yesterday after quitting the All India Trinamool Congress.
Roy is a senior lawyer and politician who has previously served in the Rajya Sabha. Sushmita Dev, a former Congress leader and former Lok Sabha MP from Assam’s Silchar constituency, joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 before moving closer to the BJP in recent years.
Prakash Chik Baraik is a tribal leader from north Bengal and has been associated with the party’s outreach efforts among Scheduled Tribe communities in the state.
The announcement comes ahead of the Rajya Sabha by-elections in West Bengal, after the BJP wrestled control of the state from the TMC who governed the state for 15 years.
Following the loss, the TMC has been facing several desertions from both Parliamentarians and legislators, leading to rebels claiming the party symbol and name.