Menaka Guruswamy among TMC’s Rajya Sabha nominees, could become India’s first LGBTQ MP

The All India Trinamool Congress has nominated senior Supreme Court advocate Menaka Guruswamy as one of its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16. If elected, she would become India’s first openly LGBTQ Member of Parliament. The party also named Babul Supriyo, Koel Mallick and former West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar as its nominees.

In a statement, the Mamata Banerjee-led party extended its congratulations to the candidates and expressed confidence that they would uphold its commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of citizens. The nominations signal a blend of legal, administrative and cultural representation in the Upper House.

Guruswamy is a constitutional lawyer and an alumna of the National Law School of India University. She began her legal career under former Attorney General Ashok Desai and built a practice focused on constitutional and public law matters. She later pursued higher studies at the University of Oxford and Harvard Law School, and also practised law in New York.

She has served as visiting faculty at leading international institutions and advised United Nations bodies, including UNICEF. In India, she was part of the legal team that challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and has appeared in several significant cases involving constitutional reform, governance and human rights. She has also served as amicus curiae in cases related to alleged extrajudicial killings.

Guruswamy was featured in a global list of influential thinkers in 2019 and has recently represented the Trinamool Congress in legal proceedings related to enforcement actions. Her nomination is being seen as a landmark political move ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls.