The Trinamool Congress on Sunday (February 11, 2023) announced the nominations of journalist Sagarika Ghose, former MP Sushmita Dev and two others for the Rajya Sabha election from West Bengal, sidelining three incumbent MPs.
The only sitting MP among the four retiring Trinamool MPs to receive renomination is Mohd Nadimul Haque.
The fourth candidate from the Trinamool is former Lok Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur, who belongs to the politically influential Matua community, while sitting MPs Abir Ranjan Biswas, Subhasish Chakraborty, and Dr. Santanu Sen were not granted another term.
“We extend our heartfelt wishes to them and may they work towards upholding Trinamool’s enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy for the rights of every Indian,” the party said in the post.
Who is Sagarika Ghose?
Sagarika Ghose, 59, has worked with prominent media outlets such as Times of India, Outlook, The Indian Express, BBC, and CNN-IBN.
She is also an author, having written several books, and currently contributes articles and columns. Her father, Bhaskar Ghose, served as a former IAS officer, and she is married to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.
Interestingly, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had walked out of a programme ‘Question Time Didi’, an audience based interaction, hosted by Sagarika Ghose in 2012 in Kolkata. A visibly livid Mamata removed her microphone, passed it to Ghose, and left the stage, alleging that everyone in the audience were Maoists when a student asked her about the escalating attacks on women in the State and the alleged infringement of democratic rights by the authorities.
Mamata’s abrupt exit made headlines, drawing criticism towards Banerjee for storming out of a prime-time show instead of addressing questions in a manner befitting a mature leader.
The programme aired on CNN IBN went on to win the NT Award for Best Public Debate Show in 2013.
Congress MP and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi is the fifth MP retiring from the West Bengal quota.
While Trinamool is likely to secure victories for all four of its candidates in the elections, the BJP can bag the fifth spot, with Congress unable to secure a candidate win as it lacks MLAs in Bengal.
Elections for as many as 56 of the Rajya Sabha seats in 15 states will be held on February 27.