The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday officially nominated former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha members Sushmita Dev, Sukendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik for the upcoming West Bengal Rajya Sabha by‑elections scheduled for July 24. All three resigned from the Upper House and quit the TMC last month, and were inducted into the BJP at the party’s West Bengal headquarters in Salt Lake only days earlier.

Strategic Calculus

State president Samik Bhattacharya described the induction as “an exception that proves the rule,” emphasizing that while the BJP had previously closed its doors to TMC leaders, it would welcome those who have “never indulged in corruption, oppression or the theft of public rights.” The narrative is being positioned as a moral high‑ground move to bolster the party’s credibility ahead of a fiercely contested by‑poll.

Profiles of the New Candidates

Sushmita Dev, who defected from the Congress to the TMC in 2021, launched a blistering attack on her former party, alleging “unbelievable levels of corruption” that she discovered only after joining the TMC. Both Ray and Baraik echoed similar criticisms, painting the TMC as a vehicle of systemic graft. Bhattacharya, however, downplayed past affiliations, insisting that “their only identity now is that they are BJP workers.”

Implications for West Bengal Politics

The Election Commission recently announced by‑polls for the three vacant Rajya Sabha seats created by the resignations of Dev, Ray and Baraik. By fielding all three on its ticket, the BJP aims to convert this procedural vacancy into a strategic foothold in the Upper House. Political analysts suggest that the move could erode the TMC’s dominance, especially as internal dissent within the TMC is reportedly rising.

When asked why she joined the BJP in Kolkata despite being an Assam‑based MP, Dev said the decision was dictated by senior party leadership. She added that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma advised her to respect the people of Bengal, who had elected her to the Rajya Sabha twice. Bhattacharya assured that Dev will work for the BJP across the nation, turning the induction into a national‑level signal of the party’s inclusivity.