BJP nominates former Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Koel Mallick

The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Rukmini Mallick, known as Koel Mallick, to the Upper House of India’s Parliament, The Hindu reported. Mallick, an actor-turned-politician, was elected to the Rajya Sabha by Trinamool Congress in April 2026. She resigned from the chamber on July 16, submitting her resignation to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha chairman C.

P. Radhakrishnan. The BJP’s nomination makes Mallick the fourth former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member to be nominated by the party after resigning from the Upper House, according to the report.

The nomination was announced on Sunday, October 4, ahead of elections for 12 Rajya Sabha seats scheduled for October 16. The BJP had previously nominated three former Trinamool Congress members — Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik — on July 9. The three earlier nominees had joined the BJP in Kolkata before their nominations.

Mallick, however, had not officially joined the BJP, according to the report. She had met BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after resigning from the Rajya Sabha. The movement of former Trinamool Congress members to BJP-backed Rajya Sabha positions has triggered debate within the BJP.

Some party leaders have questioned the accommodation of politicians who previously opposed the party before it came to power in West Bengal. The debate has been described as a discussion over the “Trinamoolisation of the BJP”, reflecting concerns among some party members about the growing presence of former Trinamool Congress figures in BJP arrangements. The report identifies Mallick’s nomination as the latest in a series involving former Trinamool Congress members and the Rajya Sabha, as the October 16 elections approach.