A month after his resignation from the Rajya Sabha to contest the West Bengal elections on BJP ticket, Swapan Dasgupta was renominated to the House by President Ramnath Kovind to fill the seat that fell vacant due to his resignation for his remainder term till April next.
Mr. Dasgupta lost the Tarkeshwar constituency to his TMC rival, Ramendu Sinharay, by margin of over 7,000 votes.
He was forced to resign from the Rajya Sabha ahead of the polls after the TMC forced legal action since a nominated member cannot contest on any party ticket while continuing to hold the post in the House.
TMC chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Sekhar Ray told The Hindu, “I do not think it has ever happened in the history of the Rajya Sabha that a person who resigned just a month back is renominated by the President of India. The government is setting a bad precedent here by throwing all parliamentary norms out of the window.”
Mr. Ray termed it a shameful act. “He was sent to West Bengal, protected as a leader of the BJP. After losing the battle now, he is being rehabilitated by the backdoor. The BJP, it seems, does not have educated people to run the show, so they are holding on the ones they have,” he stated.
It was a insult to the office of the President. “The nominated posts are to be occupied by persons of eminence. And now, the President is forced to nominate a person who fought on BJP ticket just a month back,” Mr. Ray added.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, “I think this is the FIRST time since the Rajya Sabha came into being in 1952 that such a thing has happened.”
A senior government official said Mr. Dasgupta’s resignation was accepted and he had been re-nominated only for the remainder of his term that ends next year.