Manas Bhunia, Derek O'Brien among five nominated by TMC for Rajya Sabha polls

Former West Bengal Congress president Manas Bhunia and ex-GNLF leader Shanta Chhetri are among the five Trinamool Congress candidates announced by party supremo Mamata Banerjee today for Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

Party's sitting Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Dola Sen were renominated by Banerjee for the elections scheduled for June 8. Bhunia, a six-time Congress MLA from Sabang of West Midnapore district had joined the TMC last September.

Chhetri had lost the elections as a TMC candidate for the Kurseong Assembly constituency to GJM last year. Naming the five candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections, Banerjee tweeted "My best wishes to all of them. Salute to Ma, Mati, Manush."

The tenure of members from West Bengal Derek O'Brien (TMC), Debabrata Bandyopadhyay (TMC), Pradip Bhattacharya (Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) and Dola Sen (TMC) will be ending on August 18.

Elections to replace the retiring in the Rajya Sabha from three states will be held on June 8, the Election Commission has announced.