Kolkata, 18 February (H.S.) : The ruling All India Trinamool Congress is poised to secure four out of the five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal that are scheduled to go to polls on March 16, while the Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to win the remaining one, based on the current numerical strength of parties in the state Assembly.

Of the five seats, three will fall vacant following the completion of the terms of sitting Trinamool Congress members Subrata Bakshi, Ritabrata Banerjee, and Saket Gokhale. The fourth vacancy has arisen after former Trinamool MP Mausam Benazir Noor resigned from the Rajya Sabha and recently joined the Congress.

Given the Trinamool Congress’s comfortable majority in the West Bengal Assembly, the party is widely expected to ensure the election of its nominees to these four seats without difficulty.

The fifth seat is becoming vacant with the end of the term of senior CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya. With the Left parties currently lacking effective strength in the Assembly, the BJP is likely to secure this seat.

The Trinamool Congress has not yet formally announced its candidates for the four seats and has maintained silence on its choices so far. In the BJP camp, discussions are underway regarding potential nominees. Among the names being considered are former actress-turned-politician and ex-MP Locket Chatterjee, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, who had earlier served as a Rajya Sabha member from the Trinamool Congress, and Balurghat MLA and former Chief Economic Adviser to the Union government Ashok Kumar Lahiri.

According to a notification issued by the Election Commission of India, elections will be held for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 19 states, including five from West Bengal. The notification will be issued on February 26, while the last date for filing nominations is March 5. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 6, and candidates may withdraw their nominations until March 9.

Polling will be conducted on March 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and counting of votes will also be held on the same day.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh