ECI schedules West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypolls for July 24, results same day
Synopsis
Three Rajya Sabha seats in West Bengal — vacated by TMC MPs who quit after their party's assembly election rout — go to bypolls on July 24. With the BJP holding 208 MLAs and the TMC fractured between rival factions, the ruling party is near-certain to sweep all three seats, cementing its grip on West Bengal's upper-house representation.
Key Takeaways
The ECI has scheduled West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypolls for July 24 , with results to be declared the same day.
The three seats fell vacant after Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (June 8), Sushmita Dev (June 10), and Prakash Chik Baraik (June 11) resigned from the TMC.
The BJP holds 208 MLAs in the West Bengal assembly and is expected to win all three seats; an opposition candidate needs at least 70 votes to defeat a BJP nominee.
The TMC is split into a 60-MLA rebel faction (led by Ritabrata Banerjee ) and a 20-MLA loyalist faction backing Mamata Banerjee .
Nominations close on July 14 ; the full process concludes by July 27 .
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, 6 July announced that by-elections to three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal will be conducted on July 24, with votes counted and results declared on the same day. The vacancies were triggered by the resignations of three All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) members of Parliament following the party's crushing defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections earlier this year.
Key Dates in the Election Schedule
As per the official notification, the election notice will be issued on July 7. Candidates must file their nominations by July 14, with scrutiny scheduled for July 15. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 17. Polling, if required, will be held between 9 am and 4 pm on July 24, and the entire electoral process is to be completed by July 27.
Why the Seats Fell Vacant
The three seats were vacated after Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Rajya Sabha in quick succession following the West Bengal poll results. Roy resigned first on June 8, Dev followed on June 10, and Baraik resigned on June 11.
Their departures were not merely procedural. Roy had been publicly critical of the Mamata Banerjee-led administration well before the assembly elections, particularly over the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024. He was subsequently sidelined within the party before his resignation. After quitting, Roy reportedly met with a group of 20 rebel TMC Lok Sabha members who had joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a Tripura-based outfit described as virtually non-existent.
Baraik, after resigning, reportedly praised Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari, while Dev — an Assam-based politician — met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Delhi after her exit from the party.
BJP Favoured to Win All Three Seats
Based on the current numerical strength in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win all three Rajya Sabha seats. The BJP currently holds 208 MLAs in the 294-seat assembly. To defeat a BJP nominee, an opposition candidate would need to secure at least 70 votes.
The TMC's position is complicated by a deep internal split. While the party officially claims 80 legislators, approximately 60 of them reportedly belong to a 'rebel but majority' faction led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. The remaining 20 are said to be aligned with the 'original but minority' faction that continues to support Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
Broader Political Context
This comes amid a period of significant turbulence for the TMC, which has seen a wave of defections and internal revolts since the assembly election results. The Rajya Sabha bypolls will serve as an early institutional test of the BJP's new dominance in West Bengal's legislative arithmetic. How the fractured TMC camp votes — or abstains — could offer the first formal signal of where rebel legislators truly stand.
Point of View
The outcome is arithmetically settled before a single vote is cast. The more consequential question is how the two TMC factions vote — and whether rebel legislators use this occasion to signal a formal break with Mamata Banerjee. The resignations of Roy, Dev, and Baraik were not routine; each carried a distinct political message, and the alliances they have since cultivated suggest the TMC's post-election unravelling is structural, not episodic.
NationPress
6 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypolls scheduled?
The Election Commission of India has scheduled the West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypolls for July 24, with counting and results on the same day. The entire process is set to conclude by July 27.
Why did the three Rajya Sabha seats in West Bengal fall vacant?
The seats fell vacant after TMC MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Rajya Sabha in June 2025, following the Trinamool Congress's heavy defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections.
Is the BJP expected to win the West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypolls?
Yes, the BJP is widely expected to win all three seats given its 208 MLAs in the assembly. An opposition candidate would need at least 70 votes to defeat a BJP nominee, a threshold that appears difficult to reach given the TMC's internal split.
What is the current state of the TMC in the West Bengal assembly?
The TMC officially holds 80 seats, but the party is split. Around 60 legislators reportedly belong to a rebel faction led by expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, while 20 remain loyal to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.
What is the full schedule for the West Bengal Rajya Sabha bypolls?
The election notification is issued on July 7; nominations close on July 14; scrutiny is on July 15; withdrawal deadline is July 17; polling is on July 24 between 9 am and 4 pm; results are declared the same day; and the process concludes by July 27.
