Kolkata, 06 July (H.S.): The Election Commission on Monday announced the schedule for by-elections to three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal. Polling will be held on July 24 following the resignations of former Trinamool Congress MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik. Counting of votes will take place on the same day, while the entire election process will be completed by July 27.
According to the Election Commission, July 14 is the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on July 15, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until July 17. Voting is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on July 24, with counting set to begin at 5:00 p.m.
The vacancies arose after the three Rajya Sabha members resigned from both the Upper House and the Trinamool Congress in the wake of political developments following the West Bengal Assembly election. Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned on June 8, followed by Sushmita Dev on June 10 and Prakash Chik Baraik on June 11.
Following his resignation, Prakash Chik Baraik publicly praised West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Sushmita Dev later met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while Sukhendu Sekhar Ray was seen attending meetings with former Trinamool MPs in the Lok Sabha.
With the current strength in the West Bengal Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely considered to have a strong chance of winning all three seats. The BJP currently has 208 MLAs, and if it fields three candidates with all its legislators voting in favour of the party nominees, each candidate is expected to secure the required number of votes.
The Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, has a combined strength of 80 MLAs. However, the party's internal divisions have weakened its position. Political observers believe that while the Trinamool could potentially secure one seat if all its legislators vote together for a single candidate, the likelihood of such an outcome appears limited under the present political circumstances.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
