Four Trinamool Congress candidates today filed their nominations for Rajya Sabha biennial elections from West Bengal slated for July 22. The Trinamool Congress candidates are Derek O' Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Srinjoy Bose and Debabrata Bandyopadhyay. Nomination papers for six seats from the state will be taken for scrutiny on July 13, state Assembly secretariat officials said. CPI-M Politburo member Sitaram Yechury filed his papers for re-election to the upper house from the state as the lone Left Front candidate on July eight. Senior Congress leader and WBPCC president Pradip Bhattacharya will file his nomination paper tomorrow.
Trinamool Congress, which stormed to power along with Congress in the last assembly election in May is sure to secure four Rajya Sabha seats. After the drubbing in the assembly polls, CPI(M) is expected to secure just one of the six Rajya Sabha seats.
The Rajya Sabha term of four Left Front leaders -- Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat and Mohammad Amin of CPI-M and Abani Roy of RSP -- besides Trinamool Congress' Swapan Sadhan Bose -- will end on August 18.
The remaining sixth seat has been lying vacant since the death of Independent Arjun Sengupta, who was backed by the Left and Congress in September 2010.
As per the legislative arithmetic, ruling Trinamool Congress-Congress combine can win five seats and Left parties one.