In another blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, Soumen Roy--- the party’s MLA from Kaliaganj in north Bengal--- joined the ruling Trinamool Congress on Saturday.
Roy is the third BJP MLA to switch sides in five days and the fourth since the TMC came to power for the third consecutive time in May this year after a sweeping victory in the assembly elections.
“Roy approached our party chief Mamata Banerjee and also held talks with the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee,” said Partha Chatterjee, state minister and secretary general of the TMC.
Earlier in June, Mukul Roy, who was BJP’s national vice-president, had returned to the TMC. On August 30, Tanmay Ghosh, who had won the Bishnupur seat in Bankura district on a BJP ticket in the recently held polls, joined the TMC.
A day later Biswajit Das, BJP’s MLA from Bagda constituency in North 24 Parganas, joined the TMC. Both Roy and Das, after joining the TMC, hinted that more BJP legislators could join the ruling party in the near future.
“I have been associated with the TMC for long. I, however, contested the elections on a BJP ticket. But my heart was with the TMC. I got misguided and made a mistake. I apologise to my party,” said Roy while speaking to the media at the TMC headquarters in Kolkata.
The TMC had won 213 seats, while the BJP had managed 77 seats in the assembly polls held earlier this year. The party’s strength, however, had dropped to 75 as two MLAs did not take oath and had resigned to retain their Lok Sabha seats.
{{/usCountry}}The TMC had won 213 seats, while the BJP had managed 77 seats in the assembly polls held earlier this year. The party’s strength, however, had dropped to 75 as two MLAs did not take oath and had resigned to retain their Lok Sabha seats.
{{/usCountry}}