Overview
- The Election Commission announced on Monday that by-elections for three Rajya Sabha vacancies will be held on July 24, 2026, after the resignations of TMC MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik in June.
- Under the single transferable vote system each candidate in the three-seat contest needs roughly 70 first-preference votes, a threshold the BJP can meet with its roughly 207–208 assembly MLAs if they vote as a bloc.
- Reports from multiple outlets say the Trinamool Congress is split into rival camps with about 65 MLAs backing Ritabrata Banerjee and roughly 15 loyal to Mamata Banerjee, and both factions are reported unlikely to field unified candidates for the bypolls.
- Nominations close July 14 with scrutiny on July 15 and withdrawals by July 17, and parties are debating candidates while the BJP is widely expected to consider former TMC MPs for the three seats.
- A BJP clean sweep would increase its Rajya Sabha presence from West Bengal and could alter NDA arithmetic for key amendment votes, while the TMC’s internal fight over party name and symbol before the ECI may accelerate legal battles, defections and further weakening of the Mamata Banerjee faction.