EC Announces Polls For 3 Vacant Bengal Rajya Sabha Seats On July 24 After TMC MPs' Resignations

Polling for three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal will take place on July 24 after the resignation of three Trinamool Congress MPs.

Three Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal will go to polls on July 24.

Source : PTI

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for elections to three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal, which fell vacant following the resignation of three Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs after the party's defeat in the Assembly elections. Polling for all three seats will be held on July 24, with counting scheduled for the same day.

According to the Election Commission, voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm on July 24, while counting of votes will begin at 5 pm. The notification for the election will be issued on July 7. The last date for filing nominations is July 14, scrutiny will be conducted on July 15, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until July 17. The entire election process will be completed by July 27.

Vacancies Follow TMC MPs' Resignations

The three Rajya Sabha vacancies arose after TMC MPs Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from both the Upper House and the party in June.

Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, considered close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was the first to quit on June 8. In his resignation letter, he criticised the party leadership, raised concerns over alleged corruption, violence against women, and referred to the RG Kar Medical College incident. He also alleged that dedicated party workers were being sidelined while leaders with tainted records were being promoted.

Sushmita Dev resigned on June 10. Soon after stepping down, she met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Delhi, fuelling speculation about her possible move to the BJP. A former Congress MP from Silchar, Dev had joined the TMC in 2021 before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Prakash Chik Baraik resigned on June 11. Unlike the other two leaders, he did not level any allegations against either the TMC or Mamata Banerjee while stepping down.

With three Rajya Sabha seats now up for grabs, the outcome of the election will depend on the numerical strength of parties in the West Bengal Assembly. The polls come amid significant political churn in the state following the resignations of senior TMC leaders, making the election closely watched despite it being an indirect contest.