In a surprise call, West Bengal Cheif Minister Mamata Banerjee announced popular actor Mithun Chakraborty's name as nominee from Trinamool Congress party for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state.

Mamata made this official announcement in her Facebook account earlier today. She wrote, “in our state, five Rajya Sabha members will be elected this time. One of these seats will be given to Mithun Chakraborty. He is an asset not only of West Bengal, but also of the entire country. We are proud to nominate him.

Five Rajya Sabha seats will get vacant in April and new ones will be picked on February 7th. However, Mamata did not name the remaining four candidates and a decision is awaited later this month.