Dilip Ghosh alleges Rajeev Kumar rewarded with Rajya Sabha seat by Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Saturday said that former state DGP Rajeev Kumar was rewarded with Rajya Sabha candidature by Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for "being with her in all crises".

Asked about Kumar, who retired as the state's director general of police (DGP) on January 31, being named as a candidate by the ruling party in West Bengal for Rajya Sabha seats, he said it is up to the TMC who it will field as a nominee for the polls to the Upper House of Parliament.

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"But people like Rajeev Kumar were very useful for Mamata Banerjee," the former state BJP president said.

"In all crises and in running the administration, he has been with her, so he had to be rewarded," Ghosh said.

Kumar was at the centre of a high-profile confrontation between the West Bengal government and central agencies in connection with the investigation into the Saradha chit fund case.

Apart from Kumar, the TMC on Friday announced the names of state minister Babul Supriyo, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy and actor Koel Mallick as candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

The Election Commission has declared that polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across multiple states, including West Bengal, will be held on March 16.

With numbers firmly stacked in its favour in the 294-member assembly, the ruling TMC is set to win four of the five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal, while the opposition BJP is expected to secure one.