BJP candidate from Tarakeshwar constituency, Swapan Dasgupta, has resigned from the Rajya Sabha. His resignation came after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mohua Moitra raised objections to Dasgupta being named as a BJP candidate for the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal.

"I have resigned from the Rajya Sabha today to commit myself totally to the fight for a better Bengal. I hope to file my nomination as BJP candidate for the Tarakeshwar Assembly seat in the next few days," Dasgupta, who became a nominated member of Rajya Sabha in 2016 said on Twitter.

I have resigned from the Rajya Sabha today to commit myself totally to the fight for a better Bengal. I hope to file my nomination as BJP candidate for the Tarakeshwar Assembly seat in the next few days.

— Swapan Dasgupta (@swapan55) March 16, 2021

Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh also wrote a letter to Chairman Venkaiah Naidu stating that Dasgupta had neither resigned from the House nor joined any party despite planning to contest in the election.

According to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, a nominated member of a house can join a political party before the expiry of six months from the date on which he takes his seat after complying with requirements of Article 99 or, as the case may be, Article 188.

"A nominated member of a house shall be disqualified for being a member of the house if he joins any political party after the expiry of six months from the date on which he takes his seat after complying with the requirements of article 99 or, as the case may be, article 188," the rule says.

With inputs from agencies

First Published:Mar 16, 2021 3:04 PM IST