Bengal RS bypolls: BJP may field three former TMC MPs

The Election Commission of India’s recent announcement of by-elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal, which fell vacant following the resignations of Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik — the three Trinamool Congress MPs who stepped down after the party’s debacle in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections — has brought the focus back on the former MPs and the BJP’s plans for them.

While their Lok Sabha counterparts joined the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) to avoid an immediate political backlash in West Bengal (a direct switch to the BJP could alienate sections of their voter base), the three former Rajya Sabha MPs are expected to officially join the BJP soon.

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The buzz in political circles is that the ruling BJP is preparing to field them from the three vacant seats, for which the last date for filing nominations is July 14. Party sources said that at the time of their resignations, “the commitment was that those who gave up their Rajya Sabha seats would be nominated from the same seats.”

However, Sushmita Dev also appears inclined towards returning to electoral politics in Assam. “One of the reasons she left the TMC was that she knew it was no longer possible for her to pursue Assam politics either through the Trinamool Congress or the Congress,” sources said.

While she may re-enter the Rajya Sabha after joining the BJP, speculation is that she could also be fielded from the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam, from where Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned to join the BJP.

Bordoloi currently represents the Dispur Assembly constituency.

“Actually, it is quite simple. Given its strength, whoever the BJP fields from West Bengal is likely to make it to the Rajya Sabha. Even with opposition candidates in the fray, the BJP is expected to win all three seats. If the party wants Sushmita Dev to contest the Lok Sabha election from Nagaon, that too is possible,” they said.

The three vacancies arose after the members resigned before completing their terms, necessitating fresh elections to fill the remaining tenure.

These bypolls have drawn political attention as they will be the first Rajya Sabha elections from West Bengal after the change in the state’s political landscape. With 207 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly, the BJP is likely to win all three seats, taking its individual strength to 117 and bringing the NDA closer to a two-thirds majority in the Upper House.

For the TMC, it could become another major political setback. With the party severely weakened after its defeat in the 2026 Assembly election and facing a wave of defections and resignations, this would provide another advantage to its arch-rival, the BJP.