The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal. The six contenders include Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Dola Sen, Samirul Islam, Prakash Chik Baraik, and Saket Gokhale.

O'Brien, a TMC MP since 2011, is the party's Rajya Sabha leader, while Ray, elected in 2012, serves as the deputy chief whip. Sen, a senior leader and trade unionist, became an MP in 2017. The newcomers on the list were Bangla Sanskriti Mancha president Samirul Islam, TMC's Alipurduar district president Prakash Chik Baraik and RTI activist and TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale.

The party also mentioned that the tenures of Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya, TMC's Assam leader Sushmita Dev, and TMC's Darjeeling leader Shanta Chhetri have ended, leaving these seats vacant.

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Furthermore, a seventh Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal remains unoccupied after former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro resigned as a TMC MP in April. A bypoll for this seat will be held alongside the elections for the six seats on July 24.

In a tweet, the TMC wished its contenders success in serving the people and upholding the Trinamool Congress' "enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy."

They said, "We take great pleasure in announcing the candidatures of Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar, Samirul Islam, Prakash Chik Baraik and Saket Gokhale for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections."

Saket Gokhale, expressing gratitude to the TMC leadership for his nomination, tweeted that he was "overwhelmed by their faith in me & for giving this opportunity to a young middle-class boy who comes from a non-political background."

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He acknowledged the party as a "source of my strength, my inspiration for public service aspirations, & rock solid pillars who stood by me & my family in the toughest times."

Gokhale promised to give his all and work as an effective public representative and lawmaker, steadfastly defending democracy and the constitution.

The TMC holds 216 seats in the 294-member assembly and enjoys the support of five BJP MLAs who switched over to the ruling party but are yet to resign from the House. The BJP, on the other hand, has 70 seats in the assembly.

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Apart from the seats in West Bengal, elections will also be held for four Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat and Goa.

As per usual, the counting of votes will take place at 5 pm on July 24, an hour after the conclusion of the polling process.

With agency inputs.