States » EastPosted at: Oct 5 2026 4:26PM


Bengal: Koel Mallik joins BJP, set to return to Rajya Sabha

Kolkata, Oct 5 (UNI) Actor-turned-politician Koel Mallik on Monday formally joined the BJP, ending months of speculation over her political future.
Mallik, who had earlier been elected to the Rajya Sabha on a Trinamool Congress ticket, resigned from the Upper House after the political change in West Bengal.
Soon after her resignation, Mallik met senior BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav, triggering speculation that she was preparing to join the saffron party. The speculation ended on Monday when she joined the BJP at the party office on Muralidhar Lane, holding the party flag.
She is expected to file her nomination for the Rajya Sabha later in the day as a BJP candidate.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Mallik said she felt honoured to have been chosen for the Rajya Sabha and regarded the opportunity as a major responsibility.
“I feel honoured and privileged to become a member of the Rajya Sabha. It is a big responsibility. If I get a platform to serve the people of the country, my ability to contribute naturally increases. I am very happy and would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. They have chosen me,” she said.
Explaining her decision to join the BJP, Mallik said she had witnessed development work in Bengal over the past few months and wanted to contribute to the process.
She said people wanted development in the state and added that politics offered her an opportunity to move beyond merely commenting on issues.
“If I can contribute something, instead of just reading about issues in newspapers and reacting, I will feel blessed,” she said.
Asked about her priorities for West Bengal, Mallik said she wanted people to live happily, employment opportunities to increase and the quality of education to improve.
She also expressed concern over what she described as growing “toxicity” on social media and stressed the need to focus on people who were less privileged.
Referring to the trolling she faced after leaving the Trinamool Congress, Mallik said she was not angry with her critics. A psychology student, she said she believed such attacks often stemmed from people's own frustrations and wished them “mental well-being”.
Mallik said her entry into politics was driven by a desire to make a difference in people's lives.
Recalling how her mother used to take her to Missionaries of Charity during school vacations, she said she had seen poverty and deprivation from a young age.
“I want to work for people's welfare. I want to contribute to their lives and make a difference. If I can do that, I will feel that my life has been fulfilled,” she said.
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Tags: #Bengal: Koel Mallik joins BJP# set to return to Rajya Sabha
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