Bengali film actress and former TMC Rajya Sabha MP Rukmini Mallick, who is also known as Koel Mallick, joined the BJP in Kolkata on Friday. She made her entry into the BJP just a day after the TMC named her as its candidate for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal and has become an actor in the mainstream political scene for the first time.
Mallick was welcomed into the BJP at the party’s West Bengal headquarters on Monday. The move comes only a couple of months after she had entered Parliament as a TMC nominee and resigned from the Rajya Sabha in July. The BJP’s decision to field her for the same Upper House seat has now set the stage for her to return to Parliament, this time as a BJP candidate.
The BJP had announced Mallick as its West Bengal candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election on Sunday. The election is scheduled for October 16, and Rajya Sabha polls are going on to include seats in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Bengal election has attracted much political interest; in fact, Mallick is just months after switching political allegiances to join the Upper House.
Koel Mallick's Political Journey
Koel Mallick had been active in politics earlier this year when the TMC nominated her for Rajya Sabha. She took the oath as a member of the Upper House on April 6, 2026, but her parliamentary stint was short. She resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 16, just a few months after taking the oath. She resigned following the TMC's failure in the West Bengal elections.
Her resignation had already generated some speculation about her next political move. Mallick soon became associated with the BJP, and the party's decision to nominate her for the upcoming by-election now makes her political transition official.
The development is of immense significance because Mallick is not only a former parliamentarian but one of the most celebrated actors and actresses in the Bengali film industry. The daughter of the veteran Bengali film star Ranjit Mallick, she too is a long-term actor in the Bengali film industry. Her popularity has given her considerable public recognition beyond the political arena.
What Koel Mallick said after joining BJP
Mallick had expressed that she wanted to return to the Rajya Sabha as a big responsibility by joining the BJP. She said that it was an honour to be a member of the Upper House and work for people. BJP West Bengal General Secretary Sashi Agnihotri also said Mallick would file her nomination forms for a Rajya Sabha seat.
Her comments suggest that she is trying to put her political career around public service and development. And the BJP has a prominent Bengali public figure who already has experience as a Rajya Sabha member.
Why her BJP entry matters in West Bengal
Mallick's move comes at a politically important time in West Bengal. BJP has been trying to cement its position in the state, and several former TMC leaders and legislators have turned to the saffron party in recent months.
Her transition is particularly significant as she was directly nominated to the Rajya Sabha by TMC earlier this year. So the quick turn from TMC nominee to BJP candidate has so far become an important talking point in Bengal's political arena.
The TMC has criticised the switch. According to the party's spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, Mallick and her family had been very well-connected with TMC leadership.
But the BJP is doing everything, and Mallick is going ahead with her plans to contest the Rajya Sabha by-election. The confidence is also in the West Bengal Assembly, as it is the largest part of the upper house election and will be crucial for the party to be able to win it in the Upper House elections.
#WATCH | Kolkata: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as actress Koel Mallick, officially joins the BJP in Kolkata. The Bharatiya Janata Party has announced her as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal. (Source: West Bengal BJP)
— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2026
Rajya Sabha Bypoll on October 16
The Rajya Sabha election is set for October 16, 2026. Mallick's contestation is particularly significant as the seat she is contesting is the one she previously occupied as a TMC member before resigning in July.
Her likely nomination is a political comeback in a short period. Mallick would return to the Rajya Sabha as a BJP member after only a few months as a TMC parliamentarian.
For BJP, she combines political experience, celebrity recognition and affinity with Bengal’s culture. For Mallick, it is a chance to resume her parliamentary career as a new political party.
As nominations begin to close, the focus will now shift to the October 16 contest and the TMC’s response. Koel Mallick’s journey from Bengali cinema to the Rajya Sabha and her move from TMC to BJP has already become one of the most closely watched political developments in West Bengal.
