RS candidate list progressive, says TMC, rebuts BJP’s ‘outsider’ charge
Times of India | 1 March 2026
Kolkata: Trinamool on Saturday said its Rajya Sabha candidates' list was "progressive" and packed with successful professionals who will espouse Bengal's and the party's cause in Parliament.
"From Rajeev Kumar and Menaka Guruswamy to Koel Mullick and Babul Supriyo — everyone is a successful professional with depth of knowledge and experience," Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told reporters.
In response to criticism from BJP that the list contained names of Kumar and Guruswamy, who were outsiders to Bengal, Ghosh said, "From CPM's Brinda Karat to Manmohan Singh, and multiple BJP MPs, many went to the Rajya Sabha from states that were not their home states.
"Kumar has spent his work life in Bengal. Not everything should be seen through the prism of controversy. His expertise and knowledge should be considered," Ghosh said. "The same goes for Guruswamy. She is an extremely competent professional and a very progressive individual. They are the best in their fields," he added.
Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said the BJP shouldn't "target" Kumar. "Once his responsibilities are over, he can take up any work he chooses," he said. Hakim added that many govt officers have gone on to become BJP candidates in the past. "But for a judge to resign and immediately become a candidate — that's an injustice, a sin," said Hakim, in an apparent reference to BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra called her party's decision to nominate Guruswamy a "huge step forward for the LGBTQ+ movement in India as the pathbreaking Menaka Guruswamy becomes the first queer woman in India's Parliament."
Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale, who is due to retire on April 2 and is not being renominated thanked the CM and Abhishek for the opportunity given to him two-and-a-half years ago and said he was looking forward to serving Trinamool.
Rajya Sabha elections for multiple states, including Bengal will take place on March 16. With numbers firmly stacked in its favour in the 294-member assembly, Trinamool is set to win four out of the five Rajya Sabha seats while BJP is expected to secure one.
Didi gets praise for Menaka RS nomination
Kolkata: Public figures across party lines — ranging from Margaret Alva to Abhishek Manu Singhvi to historian S Irfan Habib — hailed CM Mamata Banerjee's decision to nominate senior Supreme Court advocate Menaka Guruswamy to the Rajya Sabha.
Alva wrote on X, "Trinamool's Rajya Sabha candidate, Menaka Guruswamy, is an inspired choice. Menaka is an excellent lawyer and a role model for young women and men all across our country. In every Rajya Sabha election, Mamata Banerjee has offered up at least one candidate who caught everyone by surprise!"
Habib wrote, "Congratulations Menaka Guruswamy for the honour. Strong voices like yours need to be in Parliament."
Singhvi wrote, "Congrats to all the four Trinamool Rajya Sabha nominees. I know three of the four personally. I consistently and continuously represented Rajeev Kumar, ex-DGP, in court over the last several years."
"Menaka Guruswamy worked with me on diverse court battles and is a valued colleague at the bar. Supriyo I know less, but he is always a pleasant person to chat with in the Rajya Sabha. All the best to all four. And above all, congrats to Didi," Singhvi added. tnn