3 BJP RS nominees file papers in Bengal, party defends TMC turncoats as post-poll strategy evolves

Kolkata, Jul 13 (PTI) Three BJP nominees - Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik - filed nomination papers on Monday for the Rajya Sabha bypolls in West Bengal, with the saffron party defending its decision to field the TMC turncoats despite its earlier pledge not to induct leaders from the Trinamool Congress. The otherwise routine nominations for the July 24 Rajya Sabha bypolls highlighted a visible shift in the BJP's post-assembly election approach, with the party now selectively accommodating opposition leaders it considers politically valuable instead of adhering to its earlier blanket resistance to former TMC functionaries. Ahead of filing the nominations, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya met the three candidates in the CM's chamber in the assembly before accompanying them to the returning officer. The vacancies arose after Ray, Dev and Baraik resigned from both the Rajya Sabha and the TMC following the Assembly election. They joined the BJP on July 9 and were named the party's RS nominees within hours, ensuring an immediate parliamentary comeback. Speaking after filing her nomination, Dev thanked the BJP leadership and legislators for reposing faith in her and described the welcome she received in the party as being "like a family". She said Adhikari had asked her to actively participate in Rajya Sabha proceedings, raise issues concerning the government during debates and Zero Hour, and work in coordination with BJP legislators. A former Congress Lok Sabha MP from Assam, Dev, asserted that she remained committed to safeguarding Bengal's interests. "I have spoken for Bengal in Parliament before and will continue to work for the interests of the state," she said. There was a "big difference" between the BJP and the TMC in the way the two parties function, Dev said without elaborating. The BJP, meanwhile, sought to politically justify what many within it had until recently described as an exception to its own policy. Rejecting allegations that the BJP was undergoing "Trinamoolification", Bhattacharya said the party was bigger than any individual and "the country is bigger than the party", indicating that the induction of the three former TMC MPs was guided by what it viewed as national interest rather than organisational expediency. Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh echoed that argument, saying there was nothing in the party's principles that prevented it from accepting capable leaders from other political formations. "There is no mention anywhere that the BJP cannot take talent from other parties," Ghosh said, noting that several senior BJP leaders, including Adhikari, had switched political sides. The remarks reflect a calibrated evolution in the BJP's position. Soon after assuming office, senior leaders had maintained that the party would not indiscriminately induct politicians from the former ruling establishment after repeatedly accusing the TMC government of corruption and administrative misgovernance. The latest move suggests the BJP has drawn a distinction between indiscriminate defections and the selective induction of leaders it considers experienced, politically useful and free from serious baggage. The Rajya Sabha nominations are the clearest expression of that recalibration. By rewarding three prominent defectors with a certain return to Parliament, the BJP has signalled that influential opposition leaders can expect political accommodation if they fit into its broader strategy of post-election consolidation. The exercise also illustrates how the BJP's priorities have evolved after assuming power in Bengal. The initial focus was on ensuring administrative stability and a smooth governmental transition. The emphasis now appears to have shifted towards expanding the party's political footprint, consolidating its organisational dominance and reinforcing the perception that it has emerged as the principal destination for influential opposition leaders. The BJP's confidence stems not only from its political messaging but also from overwhelming legislative arithmetic. According to the Election Commission's schedule, nominations can be filed till July 14, scrutiny will take place on July 15, withdrawals are permitted till July 17 and polling, if required, will be held on July 24. Each of the three vacancies is being filled through a separate election under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. Since every vacancy is treated as an independent contest, a candidate requires the support of 147 MLAs in the 294-member assembly to secure election. Following its assembly election victory, the BJP has 207 MLAs after one vacancy arose following Adhikari vacating the Nandigram seat. The party therefore comfortably crosses the winning mark in all three contests on its own. The opposition, by contrast, remains well short of the required numbers. Even if the rival Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee factions of the Trinamool Congress combine their strength, together they command only around 80 legislators, effectively ruling out any meaningful contest. The electoral arithmetic has therefore transformed what would ordinarily have been a competitive RS election into an opportunity for the BJP to showcase both its legislative supremacy and its growing ability to attract influential opposition leaders. The developments have also invited comparisons with Odisha, where the BJP, after coming to power, inducted former BJD Rajya Sabha members before facilitating their return to Parliament through bypolls. Bengal, however, presents a more decisive picture, with a commanding assembly majority and an opposition too fragmented to mount even a symbolic challenge. Whether the induction of Ray, Dev and Baraik remains a carefully calibrated exercise or marks the beginning of a broader political realignment in Bengal will become clearer in the months ahead. For now, the BJP has used three virtually assured RS victories not merely to fill parliamentary vacancies, but to project a larger political message that Bengal's post-election realignment has only begun. PTI BSM BDC PNT BDC