TMC names Ritabrata Banerjee as candidate for Rajya Sabha bypolls

The bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of Jawhar Sircar as the TMC's Rajya Sabha MP in September following the RG Kar rape-murder incident and subsequent protests.

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress on Saturday named its trade union wing leader Ritabrata Banerjee as its candidate for the December 20 Rajya Sabha bypolls.

Banerjee, who was a former Rajya Sabha MP representing CPI(M), would win the bypolls as no other party in West Bengal Assembly has enough numbers to trounce the Trinamool nominee.

He was with the CPI(M) till 2017 before joining the Trinamool. The bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of Jawahar Sircar in September protesting against the West Bengal government's handling of RG Kar rape-murder incident.

The EC had on November 26 announced bypolls to six Rajya Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Haryana.

With TDP-led NDA in power in Andhra and BJP in Odisha, the ruling coalition is expected to win these four seats along with the one in Haryana. If the results would go as expected, this would help the NDA cross the majority mark to touch 125 in the Rajya Sabha, with the help of six nominated members who usually toe the government line.

At present, the NDA has 120 MPs in Rajya Sabha -- BJP: 95, Nominated: 6, JD(U): 4, NCP: 3 and AGP, JD(S), MNF, NPP, PMK, RLD, RLM, RPI (Athawale), Shiv Sena, Tamil Manila Congress and UPPL one each. When the House has a full strength of 245, the majority mark is 123.

However, there are eight vacancies -- four in Jammu and Kashmir and four in the nominated category.