The Trinamool Congress on Friday announced its nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections — Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar, Menaka Guruswamy and Koel Mallick.
The announcement was made in a post on X that read, “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 also extended its congratulations to the nominees, expressing confidence in their leadership and commitment.
The party said, “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.”
The four nominees come from varied professional backgrounds.
The nominations have drawn attention given the mix of legal, administrative, political and cultural figures named by the party.
Babul Supriyo was elected to the Lok Sabha from Asansol on a BJP ticket in 2014 and 2019. He resigned as an MP and defected to Trinamool in 2021, and was elected to the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha from Ballygunge in 2022.
"My parliamentary journey started very well. I was elected an MP from Asansol twice. I did some good work for my constituency. But it did not end well. Didi and Abhishek picked me up. I have tried my best for the IT industry. I am grateful to Didi for bringing music back into my life. I am not a politician-politician. I would prefer to be known as singer Babul. This is a new role and I will do my best," Babul Supriyo told The Telegraph Online on Friday night after the formal announcement.
Babul, who once rode an Enfield Bullet to Parliament said he will buy a new bike in Delhi.
Menaka Guruswamy, once elected, is likely to be the first openly queer member of Parliament in India. She was one of the litigants in the marriage equality case in the Supreme Court. Menaka also represented Bengal, along with Kapil Sibal, in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case in the Supreme Court.
Koel Mallick, an A-lister in Tollywood, recently delivered a box-office hit with Sarthopor. Her father Ranjit Mullick served as Kolkata Sheriff in the past.
A couple of weeks ago Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee met Koel's father Ranjit Mullick at the latter's residence.
Mamata Banerjee has since long preferred to field actors in parliamentary politics. She had in 2001 Assembly polls fielded the veteran actress Madhabi Mukherjee against then chief minister the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee from Jadavpur constituency.
Irrespective of the stature of the actor she continued to field popular ones like Dev, Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan as well as those like Lovely Moitra in electoral politics. Koel's inclusion is an affirmation of her fondness for the movies clan.
Rajiv Kumar served as the Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal from July 2024 until his retirement on January 31, 2026. He was in the spotlight during the 2019 CBI raid at his residence in connection with the Saradha chit fund probe.
Mamata Banerjee had earlier declared Kumar “the best police officer in the world”.
