Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Koel Mallick Joins BJP, Files Rajya Sabha Nomination
Koel Mallick is a Bengali film actor whose full name is Rukmini Mallick.
She was briefly a member of the Rajya Sabha for the Trinamool Congress, or TMC.
She resigned from that seat in July.
The BJP later chose her to run for the same seat, and she joined the party on Monday.
She then filed her nomination papers in Kolkata.
Mallick said she wants to help people and support development in Bengal.
She mentioned schools, education, jobs, industry and investment.
Some people criticized her decision to change parties, while she said she was not angry with them.
The election is scheduled for October 16, and one report said she was expected to win unopposed.
Actor Rukmini Mallick, known as Koel or Koyel Mallick, joined the BJP on Monday after the party named her as its Rajya Sabha candidate.
She had served as a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member from April 6 until resigning on July 16.
Mallick filed her nomination at the West Bengal Assembly complex in the presence of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya.
She said she wanted to serve the public and contribute to Bengal’s development, citing education, schools, jobs, industry and investment.
The election for 12 Rajya Sabha seats across West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand is scheduled for October 16; reports say the BJP has a majority in the West Bengal Assembly.
- Who
- Bengali actor Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel or Koyel Mallick, joined the BJP and filed as its Rajya Sabha candidate.
- What
- She joined the BJP and submitted her nomination for a by-election to the Rajya Sabha seat she had resigned from.
- When
- Monday, October 5, 2026; the election is scheduled for October 16.
- Where
- She joined the BJP in Kolkata and filed her nomination at the West Bengal Assembly complex.
- Why
- Mallick said she wanted to serve the public and contribute to West Bengal’s development.
Criticism of Mallick’s party switch
Mallick’s response and BJP support
Joining the BJP and receiving its nomination
Criticism of Mallick’s party switch
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called her induction and nomination a “circus” and argued that the BJP was seeking Rajya Sabha numbers at the expense of its stated political principles. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said Mallick could have continued as a TMC MP.
Mallick’s response and BJP support
Mallick said parties have different ways of working, that she had no anger toward critics, and that she wanted to contribute to public welfare and Bengal’s development. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed confidence in her victory.
Prospects in the by-election
Criticism of Mallick’s party switch
Some reports presented her victory as an expectation rather than a completed result.
Mallick’s response and BJP support
The reports said the BJP holds a majority in the West Bengal Assembly; one said Mallick was expected to be re-elected unopposed.
- New party
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Previous party and role
- Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha member
- Previous tenure
- April 6 to July 16
- Nomination
- BJP candidate for a by-election to the Rajya Sabha seat she previously held
- Nomination venue
- Office of the Assembly’s principal secretary at Vidhan Sabha Bhavan, Kolkata
- Scheduled election
- October 16, for 12 Rajya Sabha seats across West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
- Stated priorities
- Public welfare, education, schools, jobs, industrial growth and investment
- Reported election outlook
- One report said she was expected to be re-elected unopposed; other reports noted the BJP’s majority in the West Bengal Assembly.
Sources
Koel Mallick Joins BJP, Files Rajya Sabha Nomination Hours Later In Kolkata
Ex-TMC Rajya Sabha MP Koyel Mallick joins BJP
Ex-TMC MP Koel Mallick joins BJP, gets Rajya Sabha polls ticket
Actor Koel Mallick Files Rajya Sabha Nomination Hours After Joining BJP
Bengali Actor Koyel Mallick Joins BJP, Set To Contest Rajya Sabha Polls
Actor Koel Mallick files RS poll nomination hours after joining BJP
