Will Mamata Banerjee win the elections with the help of four MPs? Why did you bet on Babul-Maneka?

On Friday (February 27), Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress announced the names of four candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections. These names include Babul Supriyo, Rajiv Kumar, Maneka Goswami and actress Koel Malik. These four names are such that they will go to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, for the first time. Considering the number of TMC MLAs in Bengal, it is considered certain that these four will go to Rajya Sabha. In such a situation, TMC is also going to strengthen its hold on Rajya Sabha seats.

Babul Supriyo, Rajiv Kumar, Maneka Goswami and actress Koel Malik are names who are experts in their fields. In such a situation, the question arises that why did Chief Minister Mamata choose him instead of the hardcore leaders of her party? Is this just a means to increase votes for the party by becoming a Rajya Sabha member, or is there some deep strategy of Mamata Didi hidden behind this… let us know.

Actually, Trinamool Congress currently has 13 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. With the addition of these four new seats, the party’s number in the Rajya Sabha will increase to 17. This will further increase the political strength of TMC in Parliament. This is because Rajya Sabha seats matter a lot in politics. The tenure of Rajya Sabha MPs is for six years and they become a means of gaining more influence at the Centre.

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Why did Mamata Banerjee choose these names?

As part of the election strategy, CM Mamata Banerjee has made all the names candidates from different areas. In this, Babul Supriyo is a popular singer in Bengal. He is a former BJP leader and Union Minister in the Narendra Modi government. But, in 2021, he resigned from BJP and joined TMC. Therefore, by sending Babul to Rajya Sabha, Mamata has not only strengthened the assembly seats, but is also trying to bring some staunch supporters of BJP into her party.

Similarly, Rajeev Kumar has been the DGP of West Bengal and Commissioner of Kolkata. He is knowledgeable about law and order and administration. Through Maneka Goswami, an effort is being made to attract open-minded youth along with the LGBTQ community. Also, a young and popular face like Koel Malik will give new energy and identity to the party.

Babul Supriyo attraction for Hindus?

The most popular name in this list is Babul Supriyo. He was a prominent party face in Bengal BJP. He has also been a well-known artist. Before the 2021 assembly elections, Babul Supriyo joined Trinamool Congress. The party gave him ticket from Asimandini but he lost the election. After this, he contested the by-elections held in Ballygunge in 2022 and reached the assembly by winning. Babul Supriyo is a famous singer of Bengal. He has sung songs from Bollywood to Ram Bhakti.

The way BJP is moving forward on the Hindutva agenda in Bengal, TMC has got a strong Hindu face against BJP which can attract about 70 percent of the Hindu population of Bengal. BJP had won it to some extent in the 2021 assembly elections. That’s why TMC is sending a big Hindu leader, who has come from BJP, to Rajya Sabha in this election. The presence of faces like Babul will help the party get rid of the ‘anti-Hindu’ tag.

Maneka Guruswamy is the face of empowerment

Taking a historic decision, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nominated Maneka Guruswamy, the first person belonging to the LGBTQ community in the country’s Parliament, to the Rajya Sabha. Maneka Goswami is a social worker and a staunch supporter of women’s rights. Sending Maneka to Rajya Sabha under Mamata Banerjee’s Women Power Strategy is a symbol of the party’s commitment to empowering women.

Maneka Guruswamy is a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court. Guruswamy has been among those lawyers in the country who fought a historic constitutional case for the LGBTQ community in the Supreme Court. After this, after the repeal of Section 377 of IPC in the year 2018, homosexuality was decriminalized in India. Maneka Guruswamy started her career in 1997 under former Attorney General of India Ashok Desai.

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Faces like Maneka will prove helpful in giving Trinamool Congress a feminist image. After reaching Rajya Sabha, Maneka is going to prominently raise issues like Women’s Reservation Bill, domestic violence and other social injustice against women.

Rajeev Kumar symbol of Bengali intellectual?

Rajeev Kumar is a former West Bengal cadre IPS officer. He has been a very close official of Mamata Banerjee. Currently he is among the strategists of TMC and plays a role in handling the organizational work of the party. Rajeev Kumar is very popular among Bengali intellectuals and educated class. Mamata Banerjee is also rewarding him for his loyalty by sending him to Rajya Sabha. Rajiv Kumar has a soft image in the state, which makes him an influential personality in the society.

Rajiv Kumar comes from police background. He leads TMC’s systematic lobbying against CBI and other central government investigating agencies. As a Rajya Sabha member, he will emphasize on the betterment of development, education and health sector of Bengal and can raise voice against misuse of central agencies.

Film politics in Bengal from Koel Malik

Koel Malik has been a popular actress of Bollywood and Bengal film industry. He has a deep connection with the Bengali cinema industry. She is popular among the youth in Bengal due to her glamorous yet simple image. She can draw the youth crowd to TMC during election campaign. CM Mamata Banerjee has tried to make a smart political move by sending Koel to Rajya Sabha. This bet is aimed at specifically targeting young and cinema loving voters.