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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has unveiled four candidates for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal, with former Union minister Babul Supriyo featuring prominently on the list. The party has also nominated Bengali actress Koel Mallick, former West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy. Voting for five Rajya Sabha seats in the state will take place on March 16 as part of a wider election covering 37 seats across 10 states, where outcomes are largely determined by legislative strength.

Five Seats, Clear Numbers

Elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states are scheduled for 16 March, with West Bengal accounting for five vacancies. The political arithmetic in the state Assembly strongly favours the ruling TMC.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party commands between 223 and 225 seats in the 294-member Assembly, placing it in a decisive position to secure four of the five Rajya Sabha seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with around 64 to 65 MLAs, is poised to claim the remaining seat.

The Numbers Game

The electoral calculation leaves little room for surprise. A candidate requires 49 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal. With well over 220 legislators, the TMC comfortably surpasses the threshold needed to secure four seats.

The BJP’s legislative strength, meanwhile, ensures it has sufficient votes to win one seat independently. This would mark the first occasion the party sends a Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal solely on the basis of its own Assembly numbers.

With candidates announced and the numbers aligned, the outcome in the state appears largely settled ahead of polling.