Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sushmita Dev was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal on Sunday.
"Thank my leader @mamataofficial for giving me the opportunity to be a member of the Rajya Sabha from Bengal. It's an honour for me, I believe I am the first from Assam/North East to be in RS from Bengal. I will continue to work for the people and their greater interest," Dev tweeted.
TMC on Tuesday had nominated Dev as the party nominee for the Rajya Sabha by-poll from the state. Thereafter, she expressed her gratitude to Mamata Banerjee for nominating her to the Upper House of the Parliament.
The Election Commission had earlier this month announced by-polls for six Rajya Sabha seats across five states. These seats fell vacant due to the resignation or death of the sitting MP. It also announced a biennial election for one seat from Puducherry.
Voting for all seats is scheduled for October 4. The six Rajya Sabha seats include two in Tamil Nadu and one seat each in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party has not elected its candidate for the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal.
Dev, a former Congress MP from Silchar, Assam joined TMC last month in presence of party leader Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O' Brien and others. She is a prominent figure outside West Bengal to join TMC.
The former Congress MP in August wrote a letter to party interim President Sonia Gandhi about her resignation from the primary membership of the party.
Sushmita Dev in her letter wrote that she will cherish the three-decade long association with the party and expressed gratitude towards all its leaders, members and workers.
She also expressed gratitude to the President and wrote: "Madam, I thank you, personally, for your guidance and the opportunities you gave me. I value the enriching experience, I hope I have your good wishes as I begin a new chapter in my life of public service."
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor