Three BJP candidates, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik, filed their nomination papers on Monday for the Rajya Sabha bypolls in West Bengal. Election officials said the bypolls will take place on July 24. The three leaders submitted their nomination papers before the Returning Officer at the West Bengal Assembly.

The three Rajya Sabha seats became vacant after Ray, Dev and Baraik resigned from the Upper House of Parliament. They also left the Trinamool Congress (TMC) soon after the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Now, all three leaders are set to return to Parliament as BJP candidates. Their return comes only about a month after they resigned from their earlier positions.

The leaders officially joined the BJP on July 9. The party announced their names as Rajya Sabha candidates from West Bengal within hours of their induction. The quick announcement made it clear that the BJP wanted to field them without delay for the upcoming bypolls.

Their entry into the BJP marks the first major induction of former TMC leaders since the BJP recorded a sweeping victory in the Assembly elections. The development also signals a shift in the party's approach towards leaders from the Trinamool Congress. After the elections, the BJP had maintained a distance from inducting TMC leaders. However, the party has now opened its doors to leaders it considers politically credible and free from corruption.

The Election Commission has issued a notification for the Rajya Sabha bypolls. According to the notification, each of the three vacant seats will have a separate election. Although the elections will follow the same schedule and take place on the same day, each contest will remain independent of the others. This means the result for one seat will not affect the outcome of the other two.

Rajya Sabha members are elected by members of the state legislative assemblies through proportional representation using the single transferable vote system. Since each vacancy is being treated as a separate contest, every candidate must secure the support of 147 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to win.

The BJP currently enjoys a comfortable majority in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. The party has the support of 207 MLAs, which is well above the required number for each contest. This gives the BJP enough strength to win all three Rajya Sabha seats without relying on support from any other party.

The bypolls are important not only for the political numbers but also for the return of three former TMC leaders to national politics under a different party banner. Ray, Dev and Baraik represented the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha until recently. Their decision to switch parties and contest the bypolls as BJP candidates marks a significant political development in West Bengal.

The nomination process has now been completed, and the focus will shift to the polling scheduled for July 24. With its clear majority in the Assembly, the BJP remains in a strong position to secure all three Rajya Sabha seats. The outcome is expected to strengthen the party's representation in the Upper House and reinforce its position after its recent Assembly election victory in the state.