The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections have attracted nationwide attention, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal announcing its candidates. The list includes Minister Babul Supriyo, senior Supreme Court lawyer Menaka Guruswamy, former West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, and actress Koel Mallick. Among them, Menaka Guruswamy is expected to make history. If elected, she would become India’s first LGBTQ Member of Parliament. The elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across the country are scheduled for March 16, with West Bengal seeing five vacant seats—four likely going to TMC and one to the BJP.
Menaka Guruswamy has established herself as a prominent lawyer, known for her role in the 2018 landmark judgment that struck down IPC Section 377, decriminalizing same-sex relationships. She began her career in 1997 under former Attorney General Ashok Desai, later completing a B.C.S. at Oxford and an LLM at Harvard. She also worked as an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York before returning to India and settling in New Delhi.
Guruswamy has received international recognition for her work. In 2019, she featured in Foreign Policy magazine’s list of 100 most influential global thinkers and Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people. Recently, she represented TMC in challenging raids conducted at the IPAC office in West Bengal, strengthening speculation that she may be nominated for a Rajya Sabha seat. Her election would mark a historic milestone for LGBTQ representation in Indian politics.
LGBTQ refers to diverse sexual orientations and gender identities: Lesbian (women attracted to women), Gay (men attracted to men), Bisexual (attraction to both men and women), Transgender (gender identity differing from assigned sex at birth), and Queer/Questioning (individuals who do not strictly identify as male or female). Menaka Guruswamy identifies herself as Queer, reflecting her commitment to equality and inclusivity in public life