Kolkata: In another major setback ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls from this month, five MLAs of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and a party candidate have defected to the BJP.
“TMC sitting MLAs Sonali Guha (Satgachia), Sital Sardar (Sankrail), Jatu Lahiri (Shibpur), Rabindranath Bhattacharya (Singur) and Dibendu Biswas (Basirhat Dakshin) have joined the BJP. Though their candidature for the upcoming polls is not finalised,” Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said on Monday.
Notably, Bengali actress Tanusree Chakraborty also joined the saffron camp.
The Shibpur MLA, Jatu Lahiri, said he wasn’t informed that he won’t be given a ticket to fight the polls by the TMC leaders.
Asked about TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s earlier declaration that those above 80 years will not be given tickets due to the pandemic, Lahiri replied, “I wasn’t consulted. I feel rejected as I was associated with the TMC from its very beginning. But even without any discussion, I was denied a ticket. If BJP wants I will fight the polls.”
Meanwhile, Sarla Murmu, whom the TMC had fielded from the Habibpur constituency for the forthcoming polls, had expressed dissent over the choice of constituency. Sarla defected to the BJP citing that she was not allowed to work in the TMC. The ruling party has now pitched Pradip Bhasker as the new candidate from Habibpur.
The ruling party leaders, however, brushed aside the defections. Minister Firhad Hakim stated that the TMC won’t be affected with the exodus as Mamata is capable of fighting the polls all alone.
Another significant exodus from the ruling party to the BJP has taken place in Malda.
As many as 14 TMC members of Malda zilla parishad have defected to the BJP, leaving TMC a minority.
Reading out the names of the members, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that out of total 27 members, BJP now has 21 members.
