The BJP on Thursday announced former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Prakash Chik Baraik as its candidates for the July 24 Rajya Sabha bypolls in West Bengal, just a few hours after the three leaders joined the saffron party.
The announcement came shortly after the trio, who resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the TMC last month, were formally inducted into the BJP at the party's West Bengal headquarters in Salt Lake by state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya.
Bye-election to the three Rajya Sabha seats in West Bengal will be held on July 24.
Mamata Banerjee is finished: Sukhendu after joining BJP
After joining the BJP earlier in the day, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy launched a sharp attack on former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party, claiming the TMC's political future was over.
Referring to the recent assembly election, Roy questioned the unusually high voter turnout and said, "She (Mamata Banerjee) is finished; her party is over." He also accused successive governments in West Bengal of focusing on protests, shutdowns, and confrontation with the Centre instead of working together for the state's development.
He alleged that this approach had forced generations of Bengalis to leave the state in search of opportunities, and claimed that while other states were moving forward with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "Viksit Bharat," West Bengal remained mired in corruption and "theft."
Baraik too echoed the sentiment, claiming that Bengal had suffered due to a lack of coordination between the state and the Centre for decades under both the Left Front and the Trinamool Congress governments.
He alleged that several welfare schemes, including the MGNREGA (100-day work scheme), were affected and welcomed the Centre's recent development proposals for the state, including an AIIMS in North Bengal, new medical colleges, a proposed bullet train between Siliguri and Delhi, and an airport at Hasimara. Baraik said better cooperation between the two governments was essential for West Bengal's development.
TMC's poll loss and rebellion
The induction of the leaders also marked a notable departure from the BJP's post-Assembly election stance of not admitting Trinamool leaders into the party, with Bhattacharya describing it as an "exceptional" decision rather than a change in policy.
The move comes amid growing turmoil within the TMC following its defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. A rebellion within the party began after Ritabrata Banerjee became the Leader of Opposition with the support of 57 MLAs and later spread across both Houses of Parliament, with several leaders resigning from the TMC and extending support to the BJP-led NDA.
Among those who switched sides were Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu, and Baraik. Following the rebellion, Dev had declined to comment on Mamata Banerjee but said she did not want to "be part of two boats at the same time."
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