February 28 (TSP Bangla) – The Trinamool Congress on Friday night announced the names of four candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including former Bengal director general of police Rajeev Kumar. This is the first time that a former state police chief has been nominated by the party for the Upper House from Bengal.
The other nominees are actor Koel Mallick, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy and Bengal’s IT minister Babul Supriyo. Given the party’s numerical strength in the Assembly, Trinamool is expected to comfortably secure all four seats.
Elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states are scheduled to be held on March 16.
“We are pleased to announce the candidature of Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar (Former DGP, West Bengal), Menaka Guruswamy and Koel Mallick for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections,” the party posted on its official X handle.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to them. May they continue to uphold Trinamool’s enduring legacy of resilience and its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of every Indian,” it added.
Kumar’s nomination comes amid controversy. He is among those named by the Enforcement Directorate before the Supreme Court for allegedly obstructing the agency’s raids on Trinamool’s poll consultant I-PAC in Calcutta last month, along with chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
In 2019, Mamata had staged a high-profile sit-in protest to prevent the CBI from questioning Kumar, then the Calcutta police commissioner in connection with chit fund-related cases.
A Trinamool source said: “Kumar has always been someone Mamata has trusted.”
The BJP criticised Kumar’s nomination. State unit president Samik Bhattacharya: “Mamata Banerjee can nominate him, but if Rajeev Kumar accepts the nomination, it would prove that he worked for political reasons during his tenure as DGP, not as an administrator. The people of Bengal will now clearly understand how he used the police system politically.”
There have been several instances in the past where the BJP has fielded retired IPS officers as candidates, making Rajeev Kumar’s nomination not entirely without precedent in national politics.
Actor Koel Mallick and her father, veteran actor Ranjit Mallick, are known to share cordial ties with Mamata Banerjee. Ranjit Mallick had served as the sheriff of Calcutta in 2014–15. Recently, Trinamool all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited the Mallick residence to hand over a copy of Unnayaner Panchali, a booklet highlighting the Mamata government’s development initiatives.
Babul Supriyo, who was earlier with the BJP before joining Trinamool, had recently said he wished to devote more time to his music career. He was conferred the Banga Vibhushan this year in recognition of his contribution to music. A Trinamool source said Supriyo had been facing internal pressure after a senior minister reportedly expressed interest in contesting from Ballygunge, the Assembly seat he currently represents.
Party sources said Menaka Guruswamy had appeared for Trinamool in the Calcutta High Court in January in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on I-PAC properties. She was also part of the legal team in the case that led to the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which decriminalised same-sex relations.
