The Trinamool Congress on Friday night named former Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar as one of its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections, the first time such a high-ranking officer had been nominated for a Rajya Sabha assignment from the state.
The other Trinamool candidates are actress Koel Mallick, advocate Menaka Guruswamy and Bengal IT minister and singer Babul Supriyo.
Given its strength, Trinamool will be able to ensure the victory of all four candidates.
Elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states are to be held on March 16.
“We are pleased to announce the candidature of Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar (Former DGP, West Bengal), Menaka Guruswamy and Koel Mallick for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections,” the party posted on its official X handle.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to them. May they continue to uphold Trinamool’s enduring legacy of resilience and its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of every Indian,” it added.
Kumar is among those named by the Enforcement Directorate in the Supreme Court for allegedly disrupting the agency’s raids on Trinamool poll consultant I-PAC in Calcutta last month along with chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
In 2019, Mamata had led a sit-in to prevent the CBI from questioning Kumar, then the Calcutta police commissioner, in connection with some cases.
A Trinamool source said: “Kumar has always been someone Mamata has trusted.”
The BJP criticised Kumar’s nomination. State unit president Samik Bhattacharya: “Mamata Banerjee can nominate him, but if Rajeev Kumar accepts the nomination, it would prove that he worked for political reasons during his tenure as DGP, not as an administrator. The people of Bengal will now clearly understand how he used the police system politically.”
However, there have been many instances when the BJP has given retired IPS officers party tickets.
Koyel and her father, actor Ranjit Mallick, have always had warm relations with Mamata. Ranjit Mallick had been Calcutta sheriff in 2014-15. Recently, Trinamool all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited the Mallick residence to hand over a copy of Unnayaner Panchali, a booklet on the Mamata government’s achievements on development.
Supriyo, earlier associated with the BJP, recently expressed his wish to dedicate himself to singing. He was awarded the Banga Vibhushan this year for his contribution to music.
A Trinamool source said Supriyo was facing pressure within the party after a senior minister expressed the desire to contest from Ballygunge, the seat he represents.
Trinamool sources said Guruswamy appeared on behalf of the party in Calcutta High Court in January in connection with the ED’s raids on I-PAC properties. She had also been part of the legal battle that culminated in the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling striking down IPC Section 377, decriminalising gay sex.
