Differences are cropping up as the state leadership will recommend the names of the candidate. There are three feuding factions in the party making the possibility of the choice of an unanimous candidate unlikely.

There is a strong possibility of the central BJP leadership being given the task of choosing from three sets of names. These names, party insiders feel will come from leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar and national vice-president and Majumdar's predecessor, Dilip Ghosh.

The party's parliamentary board headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda will take the final call .

Veteran journalist, Swapan Dasgupta who happens to be a former Rajya Sabha MP ought to have been a clear choice. But it was learnt from state BJP sources that Adhikari may propose the name of yesteryear film star Mithun Chakraborty to pip Dasgupta to the post. Mithun Chakraborty is still a vote catcher in Bengal. In recent days, Mithun is addressing meetings in his state and appearing in a number of Bengali films which have become hit. If the BJP high command takes a decision taking into account the utility of the member for the elections, Mithun might be the choice as against Swapan Dasgupta who has very little fan base.

Being the leader of the Opposition, Adhikari's recommendation will matter to the final decision makers, sources stated. After all, it is the legislators whom he leads in the Assembly who will cast their votes in the selection for the Rajya Sabha nominee in this election.

Dasgupta, on the other hand, is stated to be close to Union home minister, Amit Shah, a factor which can tip the scales heavily in his favour. Known to be a disciplined party activist, the former Rajya Sabha member had contested from Tarakeswar Assembly constituency following party diktat but lost.

Chakraborty, on the other hand, had been a Rajya Sabha member from Trinamool Congress. He resigned and took part in the 2021 Assembly election campaign for BJP.

To avoid intra-party squabbles, BJP's central leadership may take a path less travelled. It could name a nominee of its choice and the MLAs would have to go by the central leadership's decision.

A section of the state unit feels that the state party's spokesman, Shamik Bhattacharya be the party's choice in the coming Rajya Sabha elections. The former MLA is an articulate speaker and has bailed out the saffron unit from many a tight corner in recent days.

The central leadership may consider the candidature of educationist Anirban Gangopadhayaya for the Rajya Sabha, a section of the party feels Though he lost to Trinamool Congress's Chandranath Sinha at Bolpur Assembly constituency, Gangopadhayaya's candidature ought to be given consideration as he can voice the point of view of the saffron camp in academic and intellectual circles of the state where such thoughts are stated to have little penetration, sources say.

Elections will be held for six seats from West Bengal as the present MP’s are retiring. Of the six, five belong to Trinamool Congress and the sixth retiring candidate is Pradeep Bhattacharya of the Congress. The Bengal assembly has got 294 seats out of which the ruling TMC has got around 221. The winning candidate requires 42 first preference votes, so Trinamool can easily get five of its candidates elected on July 24. The BJP can easily get one of its member elected. In the assembly, the Congress and the CPI(M) have no member. For CPI(M) which sent maximum number of its members to the Rajya Sabha from the Bengal assembly, during its 34 years rule, it is pathetic that the party has no role in the coming Rajya Sabha polls from the state assembly. (IPA Service)