CM Banerjee tweeted in afternoon, “Congratulations to the five @AITCofficial candidates elected today to Rajya Sabha and sixth supported by us.” (File/Photo)
ALL FIVE candidates from the Trinamool Congress and one from the Congress are set to get elected to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal after the Election Commission on Monday rejected nomination of CPM candidate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya on technical grounds. Bhattacharya was deemed to have submitted an additional affidavit along with his nomination papers after the deadline, a charge the CPM rejected. The party said it is exploring legal options against the decision. The decision to reject Bhattacharya’s nomination was taken after scrutiny on Monday.
A former Mayor of Kolkata, Bhattacharya was nominated by the Left Front on Friday, the last day of filing nominations for elections to the Upper House, scheduled for August 8. He submitted an additional affidavit required with his nomination paper post-deadline, it was alleged.
State Legislative Assembly Secretary Jayanta Koley, who is the returning officer (RO) for Rajya Sabha polls, refused to accept Bhattacharya’s nomination. With the Left Front arguing that the nomination papers and the additional affidavit was submitted on time, the RO had sought time to take a final call. During a scrutiny on Saturday, the RO could not take a decision.
The matter was taken up again on Monday, and Bhattacharya’s nomination was rejected.
This makes it automatic election of TMC candidates Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Manas Bhunia, Shanta Chhetri and Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, and Congress candidate Pradip Bhattacharya.
O’Brien, Ray and Sen are sitting Rajya Sabha members; Pradip Bhattacharya is a sitting Congress Rajya Sabha MP. Bhunia, who had moved from the Congress to the Trinamool in September last year, and Chhetri will make their debut in the Upper House.
Chief Minister Banerjee tweeted in the afternoon, “Congratulations to the five @AITCofficial candidates elected today to Rajya Sabha and the sixth supported by us.”
Alleging a conspiracy behind rejection of Bhattacharya’s nomination paper, CPM legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “It was planned. The TMC was scared of the former Kolkata mayor, and thus raised objection to his candidature. We will fight this legally.”
Brushing aside the charge, Trinamool secretary general and state minister Partha Chatterjee said Bhattacharya’s nomination was rejected as per Election Commission’s rules, and the TMC had no role in it. “They were given a chance of hearing as per Representation of the People’s Act. The RO was also present, and discussed the matter with everyone. Then it was announced that the CPM Rajya Sabha candidate’s nomination was declared invalid by the Election Commission, as it was not submitted within the stipulated time.”
Maintaining that the Left Front is trying to “malign the EC”, Chatterjee said, “There is a nexus between the CPM and the BJP to send Bhattacharya to Rajya Sabha.”
