The Trinamool Congress on Friday, 9 March, extended its support to Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, assuring him of a Rajya Sabha seat from the state.
The party announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections through Twitter.
The announcement comes after much speculation. Earlier reports suggested that the party was expected to support Jaya Bachchan, who will relinquish her Rajya Sabha seat on 3 April.
However, the party had refused to speak on the matter then.
TMC’s subsequent offer to support Singhvi’s candidature is now being seen by many as an attempt by the regional party to make amends with the Indian National Congress, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The Election Commission had announced on 23 February that polls to 58 Rajya Sabha seats would be held on 23 March.
Fifty-eight Rajya Sabha seats will be falling vacant in April while a bypoll for a seat from Kerala will also be held. MP Veerendra Kumar had resigned in December last year, though his term was to end in April 2022.
The elections will take place on 23 March and the counting of votes will be held on the same evening, the commission said in a statement.
The members, whose terms are ending, include Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Dharmendra Pradhan, JP Nadda, Thawar Chand Gehlot and Ramdas Athawale.
In August 2017, the BJP had overtaken the Congress to become the largest political party in Rajya Sabha with 58 members against 57 of the main Opposition party.
(With inputs from PTI)
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