E-Paper
Koel Mallick becomes BJP’s pick for Rajya Sabha from West Bengal two months after TMC exit: Who is she?
Koel Mallick made surprise transition from the Bengali film industry to active politics when Mamata Banerjee nominated her as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha.
Prefer HTon Google
Actor Koel Mallick has emerged as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s pick for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls from West Bengal, months after she resigned from the Upper House as a Trinamool Congress MP.
Mallick, a popular Bengali film actor, had been nominated by former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s TMC for the Rajya Sabha earlier this year. She took oath as a member of the Upper House on April 6 but resigned from the post just months later, without attending a single session.
Her resignation came on July 16, shortly after TMC’s major setback in the West Bengal assembly polls and amid a series of defections from the party.
The Election Commission has scheduled the Rajya Sabha by-election for the seat vacated by Mallick for October 16. The polling will take place on Maha Shashthi during the Durga Puja festivities. The last date for filing nominations is October 6, while candidates can withdraw their nominations till October 9.
Who is Koel Mallick?
Koel Mallick, also known as Rukmini Mallick, is one of the well-known faces of Bengali cinema. She is the daughter of veteran Bengali actor Ranjit Mallick and his wife Deepa Mallick.
She holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) with honors in Psychology. Mallick completed her primary education at Modern High School for Girls in Kolkata before pursuing higher education at Gokhale Memorial Girls College.
The Bengali actor married Nispal Singh in 2013. She later made a surprise transition from the Bengali film industry to active politics when Mamata Banerjee nominated her as a TMC candidate for the Rajya Sabha.
She was sworn in as an MP on April 6, 2026, but her stint in Parliament lasted only a few months before she resigned on July 16.
Koel Mallick's resignation
Mallick submitted her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan in Delhi in July this year just after her party suffered a major setback in state polls.
At that time, Mamata Banerjee had said Mallick informed the TMC leadership about her decision through email before formally resigning from the Upper House.
"Today I saw that another MP, who is also a respected and talented film artist, met a BJP leader and resigned. I respect her as an artist. For everyone's information, she had already sent her resignation by email, and I thank her for personally submitting it today," Banerjee said.
