The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on 27 February evening announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, naming minister Babul Supriyo, former West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, and actor Koel Mallick.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across several states, including West Bengal, on 16 March. In an X post, TMC extended congratulations to its nominees, noting that they would uphold the party’s legacy and commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every Indian.
Menaka Guruswamy is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India and played a key role in the landmark 2018 case that decriminalised homosexuality by reading down Section 377 of the IPC. If elected, she would become India’s first openly queer Member of Parliament. She has also served as TMC’s counsel in multiple cases, including those related to Enforcement Directorate raids on I-PAC director Pratik Jain’s office.
Guruswamy joined the bar in 1997, working with the then Attorney General of India, Ashok Desai. She is a Rhodes Scholar from Oxford University (D.Phil) and a Gammon Fellow from Harvard Law School (LL.M). She has also been a visiting faculty member at Yale, Columbia, and NYU Law Schools. In 2019, TIME included her and her partner Arundhati Katju in its 100 Most Influential People in the World list.
Menaka is the daughter of Mohan Guruswamy and Meera Guruswamy. Mohan Guruswamy is a former BJP strategist and was a special advisor to former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha before leaving the party.
West Bengal has five Rajya Sabha seats becoming vacant in 2026. Four are currently held by TMC, giving the ruling party a strong advantage in the 294-member assembly. This makes TMC’s victory in four of the five seats almost certain, with the BJP likely to secure one seat. Anish Gawande, National Spokesperson of NCP, noted that Menaka’s nomination is a historic moment for LGBTQ+ representation in India, while acknowledging that broader challenges for the community remain.
Given the numbers in the assembly, the result appears largely predetermined unless additional candidates are fielded, which could trigger a contest ahead of West Bengal’s assembly elections.
