The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday announced its candidates for six Rajya Sabha (upper house of parliament) seats in West Bengal that will go to polls later this month.
Announcing the candidates, West Bengal's governing party said in a tweet: “We take great pleasure in announcing the candidatures of Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar, Samirul Islam, Prakash Chik Baraik and Saket Gokhale for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections”.
“May they persist in their dedication to serving the people and uphold Trinamool's enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy for the rights of every Indian. We extend our heartfelt wishes to all”, it further added.
There are seven Rajya Sabha seats vacant from West Bengal. Of these, six fell vacant after the tenure of TMC parliamentarians O’Brien, Ray, and Sen, along with TMC Assam politician Sushmita Deb, Darjeeling politician Shanta Chhetri, and Congress parliamentarian Pradip Bhattacharya.
The seventh seat fell vacant after Luizinho Faleiro’s resignation. He was elected as a Rajya Sabha member on a TMC ticket unopposed from the state ahead of the Goa assembly elections last year.
Among the candidates announced by West Bengal's governing party, O'Brien has been a parliamentarian since 2011, while Ray was first sent to the upper house in 2012, whereas Sen became a parliamentarian in 2017.
The remaining three - Islam, Baraik and Gokhale - are new entrants.