Kolkata Bureau. West Bengal’s politics witnessed a dramatic turnaround on Monday. Popular Bengali film actress Rukmini Mallick, known to millions as Koel Mallick, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — and within hours, filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha by-election from the state.
The BJP had announced her as its candidate for the bypoll barely 24 hours earlier, on Sunday. On Monday morning, BJP general secretary Sashi Agnihotri handed her the party flag at the party’s state headquarters in Kolkata, in the presence of media department convenor Anupam Ghosh.
Mallick then reached the Vidhan Sabha Bhavan, where she filed her nomination papers for the vacant Upper House seat. She was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya. After the filing, Chief Minister Adhikari presented her with a framed photograph of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Senior ministers Tapas Roy and Shankar Ghosh were also present.
‘An honour’ to be in the Upper House
Speaking to the media after filing her nomination, Koel Mallick said it would be an honour to become a member of the Upper House and that it would give her an opportunity to work for the welfare of the people. She thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
She said the development she had seen in Bengal over the past few months had inspired her to join the BJP. She added that she did not wish to make any negative comment about her former party or its leaders, and that her focus would be on serving the people of Bengal.
Second political innings
This is the second political innings of the daughter of veteran Bengali actor Ranjit Mallick. Earlier this year, in April, she had entered the Rajya Sabha on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket, but resigned on July 16 — a step that followed her party’s defeat in the assembly elections.
The seat left vacant by her resignation will now go to a bypoll on October 16, along with 11 other Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Given the BJP’s clear majority in the West Bengal Assembly, Mallick’s victory is considered all but certain.
File photo: Koel Mallick taking oath as a Rajya Sabha MP earlier this year. (Photo: Indian Express Bangla)
Source: PTI
