Will the TMC Be Badly Hit by Desertions to the BJP?
Several of the leaders who have jumped ship had seen their popularity and influence wane it recent times.
Home minister Amit Shah with Suvendhu Adhikari as he joins the BJP. Photo: PTI
Politics21/Dec/2020
Kolkata: On Saturday (December 19), while welcoming Suvendu Adhikari, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) heavyweight, into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at a rally in West Midnapore district, Union home minister Amit Shah said that a string of desertions henceforth would leave Mamata Banerjee all alone by the time the 2021 assembly elections take place.
The TMC reacted immediately, saying that the desertions of a few leaders did not matter to the party because it depended on workers and support from the masses, who look only up to Mamata and nobody else.
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Basu, who used to be a district mentor group member in TMC, named seven district office-bearers and at least one MP, East Burdwan’s Sunil Mandal, as being BJP-bound. Mandal has yet to confirm or deny that he will join BJP at Shah’s rally.
TMC isn’t the only dissent-ridden party BJP seems to be gaining from. CPM’s Tapasi Mondal, the MLA from East Midnapore’s Haldia, is said to be among those ready to cross over.
The desertion bug bit Trinamool’s Birbhum bastion as well, where former Bolpur Municipality councillors Arup Roy and Shelley Roy resigned on Friday, sparking speculation that they might be joining BJP when Shah visits the district on Sunday.
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