Rajya Sabha elections: TMC announces candidature of Sagarika Ghose, Sushmita Dev, Nadimul Haque, Mamata Bala Thakur

livemint.com:

Rajya Sabha is all set for elections to its 56 seats on 27 February. The elections will be conducted for seats across 15 states of India including 5 from West Bengal. “We are pleased to announce the candidature of @sagarikaghose, @SushmitaDevAITC, @MdNadimulHaque6 and Mamata Bala Thakur for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

We extend our heartfelt wishes to them and may they work towards upholding Trinamool’s enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy for the rights of every Indian," the party said in a post from its official handle. Sagarika Ghose is a journalist and author with wide experience in covering politics and has written several books on political leaders. She is known for her close association with TMC and Mamata Banerjee.

Sushmita Dev is a sitting member of the Rajya Sabha and earlier she represented Silchar Lok Sabha constituency in Parliament. Md. Nadimul Haque is one of the prominent Muslim faces in TMC and is a sitting member of the Rajya Sabha representing the party.

Mamata Bala Thakur is another influential leader in the party and has earlier represented the Bangaon constituency in Parliament. The states which are up for Rajya Sabha elections this month include Uttar Pradesh (10), Maharashtra (6), Bihar (6), West Bengal (5), Madhya Pradesh (5), Gujarat (4), Karnataka (4), Andhra Pradesh (3), Telangana (3), Rajasthan (3), Odisha (3), Uttarakhand (1), Chhattisgarh (1), Haryana (1), and Himachal Pradesh (1). In the present composition of the Rajya Sabha, there are 238 representatives elected, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) commanding the highest count of seats at 93, followed by the Congress party with 30 seats.