Kolkata, Oct. 5 -- Within hours of formally joining the BJP, actor-turned-politician Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, filed her nomination at the West Bengal Assembly as the party's candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

A day after the party fielded her for the polls from the same seat she had earlier resigned from, Mallick joined the BJP on Monday morning at its state headquarters in Salt Lake. Mallick accepted the BJP flag from state general secretary Shashi Agnihotri amid chants of 'Vande Mataram' before proceeding to file her nomination.

Mallick submitted her nomination in the Assembly's principal secretary's office. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and the party's Rajya Sabha MP and state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya accompanied Mallick when she submitted her nomination papers. Senior ministers Tapas Roy and Sankar Ghosh were also present when Mallick submitted her nomination papers.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said in a social media post: "I congratulate and offer best wishes to her in advance." Adhikari also presented Mallick with a framed photograph of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at his office in the assembly.

Speaking to reporters, Mallick said she was overwhelmed by the development work undertaken in Bengal over the past few months and joined the BJP to become part of the process. She also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Adhikari.

"I am honoured. I have been given a great responsibility. Serving people is a duty, and that is what I will do happily. I am overwhelmed to see the development work that has begun in Bengal over the past few months. This is what Bengal needs most," Mallick said.

She followed the same path taken by three former Trinamool leaders ~ Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Deb and Prakash Chik- Baraik who had earlier resigned from the Trinamool and the Upper House, crossed over to the saffron camp and were subsequently re-elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets.

Elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal will be held on October 16. The BJP has a clear majority in the West Bengal Assembly.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.