The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik as its candidates for the July 24 Rajya Sabha bypolls in West Bengal, hours after the three former Trinamool Congress MPs joined the saffron party.
The three leaders had resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the TMC in June after questioning the TMC leadership following its defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls.
The BJP is set to win all three Rajya Sabha seats in the state with the party sweeping the state assembly polls held in April. The Rajya Sabha bypolls will be held on July 24 and the counting of votes will take place on the same day.
In a separate notification, the BJP also announced name of its candidate for the July 30 assembly bypoll to Manjhalpur in Gujarat, fielding Satishbhai Govindbhai Patel from the seat. The assembly bypoll was necessitated after the death of MLA Yogeshbhai Narandas Patel.
Earlier in Kolkata, former TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Dev, Ray and Baraik joined the BJP, days after the Election Commission announced bypolls to the three Upper House seats vacated by them.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya welcomed them to the party at its West Bengal headquarters in Salt Lake.
The induction also marked a notable shift from the BJP's post-Assembly poll position on admitting Trinamool leaders into the party, with Bhattacharya describing the move as an "exceptional" case rather than a policy change.
While Ray's Rajya Sabha term was till September 18, 2029, Dev was to be a member till April 2, 2030. The term of Baraik was to end on September 18, 2029.
'Trust in PM Modi's vision': Ex-TMC leaders
Shortly after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, cited trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision as a reason to join the BJP.
Speaking to ANI after joining the BJP, Sushmita Dev lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cited the "double-engine" government model as the reason for her transition.
I want to tell the people of West Bengal: give Chief Minister Suvendu Babu and Prime Minister Modi just two years. You will see that... the face of West Bengal will undergo a complete transformation.
"As I have said before, the work accomplished under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both in the country and in states with 'double-engine' governments, is undeniable; no one can refute it. I want to tell the people of West Bengal: give Chief Minister Suvendu Babu and Prime Minister Modi just two years. You will see that, just as the face of Assam and Tripura has been transformed, the face of West Bengal will undergo a complete transformation," Dev said.
(With inputs from agencies)
