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BJP is indirectly and possibly intentionally insulting the Nandigram protesters by taking in CPM men who had served jail terms

Nandigram News

If BJP is thinking that it has winning chance in Nandigram, then it is knee-deep wrapped and trapped in illusion. But, anything in possible in politics especially prior to elections, when a party has access to loads of money generated from the electoral bonds sent in by the crony-partners.

In the West Bengal election, the opponents of the land movement are now becoming the face of the BJP in the elections in Nandigram. The land movement had propelled Mamata Banerjee to the role of CM. The BJP leadership, which has lost its way in confronting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is now shaking hands with the ‘Harmad leaders’. Harmad bahini, the mob under the then CPM rule, was involved in violence against the people participating in the Nandigram’s land movement.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

The present role and current orientation of the BJP, in shaking hands with the Harmad people of the CPM has caused intense anger among the land agitators (who had protested against the CPM rule).

Shankar Samanta, a CPM leader had died due to public outrage in 2007 as a consequence of the land movement. His brother Nabakumar Samanta is taking part in the meeting-procession for the local BJP candidate, & is also responsible for voting in Sonachura Gram Panchayat area. A number of cases including those involving murder are pending against Nabakumar, who had been in jail from 2011 to 2014. He left his ancestral home in Nandigram and now lives with his family in Durgachak, Haldia.

Not only Nabakumar, but his associates have also joined the BJP. On the ground, source suggests that Nandigram residents allege that those who carried out unspeakable atrocities during the land movement are becoming the face of BJP’s propaganda in the upcoming state election. Ashish Mandal of Sonachura is the president of the SC Morcha of the BJP’s Nandigram-1 South Mandal. At one time, he had been a member of the CPM’s action squad, Harmad bahini. Cases are pending against him as well. Ashish had also served a term in jail.

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

Another of Nabakumar’s associates, Dipan Mandal, is a member of the BJP’s Mandal Committee. He was also a leader in the camp of CPM, & has been accused in multiple cases. Madan Pike is the president of BJP’s Shahid Minar booth No. 27 in Sonachura. Apart from this, Jahar Patra, Srihari Mandal, Balai Patra, Robin Mandal are all BJP booth presidents. There are a bunch of cases registered against them for torturing the protesters during the 2007 Nandigram land movement. Nandigram and its residents are furious that the BJP is holding the hands of the opponents of the land movement to stop the current Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

A few days ago, a meeting was held by BJP at Sonachura. Shankar Samanta’s brother Nabakumar was present there. Efforts have also been made to provide him security by the central forces. Nabakumar said, “My grandfather was a member of Nandigram-1 Panchayat Samiti run by CPM. Neither my grandfather nor I had party membership. The CPM party has used us. The media advertised that we work for CPM. As a result, we have lost four generations of land and become proletarians. Now I am somehow alive. About 15-16 cases are pending against me. I spent four years in jail. There is a tendency towards BJP. I want to work as a candidate for Nandigram.”

Himanshu Das, a member of the CPM’s district secretariat, said, “Shankar Samanta and Nabakumar Samanta had party membership. Nabakumar has no connection with the BJP now.” This adds to the confusion of the political membership and allegiances of Samantas. But, the security cover for Nabakumar puts him under ire of the local populace.

Ashish Mandal of Sonachura was accused in 12 cases during the land agitation. He had been a leader of a Harmad force in the CPM. Now all that is past. He is now one of the activists of BJP. Ashish said, “There have been numerous false allegations against us. Many have been imprisoned. Some have taken bail from the High Court. We have raised the BJP’s flag against corruption in TMC and misgovernance. The TMC will be washed out clean here.”

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

BJP district co-president Praloy Pal said that everything is possible in politics. He added, “Many accused of killing TMC activists are in various positions of the ruling party. We have accepted those who have come to the team in response to the call for poriborton or change.” Mamata Banerjee’s election agent Sheikh Supian said, “BJP was politicizing the Nandigram land movement’s opponents and murderers. The agitators of Nandigram will give the answer of this betrayal.”

According to the people of Nandigram, the BJP leaders who are trying to take credit for the Nandigram land movement should know who persecuted the protesters at that time, and who were jailed on murder charges. BJP is indirectly and possibly intentionally insulting the Nandigram protesters by taking in the CPM-men who were part of the Harmad sena & had served jail-terms.

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On the International Women’s Day, Mamata volleyed criticisms on the Brigade rally which she called B-grade highlighting data on crimes against women in BJP ruled states like UP

Mamata Rally IWD

Among the upcoming elections in India, the West Bengal election, is a crucial testing ground for the acceptability of Mamata’s TMC for the third round of hold over the Vidhan Sabha in Kolkata and for the saffronised agenda of BJP to make an entry into the state. Which camp is exactly now in the trepid waters would be revealed on May 02, but the war of words is on between the two camps.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Mamata was on a road-rally again in Kolkata in response to Modi’s rally at Brigade grounds. The West Bengal CM retorted for the second time within 24 hours of the PM’s brigade meeting. Standing at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala, she broke open the ‘pot’ of the purported false information of Modi with accurate data and statistics. The Trinamool supremo sharply attacked the BJP’s ‘poster boy’ from the International Women’s Day march on Monday. “I respect the Prime Minister’s chair,” she said, further adding, “But when Narendra Modi comes to Bengal and lies, it is a strange thing, which is not seen anywhere in the world. I must protest this lie.”

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the women’s wing of the Trinamool marched from College Square to Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala. Mamata Banerjee led the rally there. Later a meeting was also held at Dharmatala. And from there, the Trinamool leader practically played the drums of campaigning in Calcutta. Narendra Modi has brought multiple allegations against the state’s TMC government by holding a brigade rally on Sunday.

Mamata gave her stern reply from Siliguri. But she had more to answer. She did that on that day. She said in a sarcastic voice, “The two leaders of the syndicate are Modi Babu and Shah Babu. They came to Bengal and lied.”

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

In response to Modi-Shah’s ‘lies’ about law and order in Bengal, Mamata brought up the situation in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. She reminded that the girls of Bengal can go out safely at around 10 or 12 o’clock at night, & go to work again at four in the morning. Mamata added, “There are thousands of ASHA workers. Bengali girls are included in the self-help group. They are all safe. And, the opposite of the picture can be highlighted in the context of Gujarat.”  Presenting the information on ‘Crime Against Women‘, Mamata said that Modi-Shah’s model is Gujarat.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

Mamata highlighted that according to media reports, there have been two murders and four rapes every day in the last two years in Gujarat. In addition, the Gujarat government has reported 1944 murders, 3,095 rapes, 4,829 abductions , and 1,853 attempted murders in two years. Another important point (backed by data) highlighted by Mamata was that Ahmedabad and Uttar Pradesh top rape charges.

Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have been calling for building ‘Sonar Bangla’ in the state. On the same day, Mamata retaliated against Modi as well as the Union Home Minister. She said, “First manage Delhi, then think about Bengal. No matter how many tax assaults from centre, Bengal will always respond.”

At the same time, the Trinamool leader also mocked about Modi’s brigade rally & termed it as ‘B-grade’. She claimed that the TMC programme on International Women’s Day has surpassed the number of people gathered at the BJP meeting. She added, “BJP had brought people, that too not enough, with money. But people came to the meeting of TMC spontaneously.”

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

This time the battle for the state assembly vote in West Bengal is very different. This was also pointed out in Mamata’s statement. She also made it clear that she had to fight against many things, comparing the fight to ‘BJP vs Me’. In this ‘historic fight’ of 2021, Mamata’s companions are people, as pointed out in the TMC rally. Mamata added, “BJP’s allies are money & thugs.”  However, whatever the fight, the Trinamool supremo added that she will raise the tune about winning in the ‘game’ of Bengal election 2021. On International Women’s Day, she took an oath that women will build West Bengal, adding that the brothers will be by their side.

The Trinamool supremo also questioned the use of Modi’s image in the corona vaccine certificate. In a note of sarcasm, she added, “It is not Covid vaccine, but a Modi vaccine! The stadium has been renamed. He asked ISRO to send his picture into space. Then maybe you will rename the whole country in your own name!”

The political battle lines for Bengal election-2021 are truly unique in many ways, given the barrages of criticisms and counter-criticisms volleyed by TMC & BJP over one another, with the alliance of INC & Left being left as no better than spectator.

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Bengal Election update: Modest crowd at Kolkata Brigade rally with the presence of Mithun Chakraborty-grievances brew in TMC camp with many showing inclination to jump boat

elections in India

Near the end of March, (March 27) two major elections in India would commence in Assam and West Bengal. While for the Assam election, the CM face for BJP would be picked up after the election results are announced, the saffron party is gearing up for the uphill task in the Bengal election.

Kolkata witnessed the Brigade rally of BJP on Sunday, (March 07) which saw a fairly poor crowd, with large swathes of the ground empty on both sides. Actor Mithun Chakraborty, who had been a TMC leader, joined the BJP leaders on the stage at the rally. Locket Chatterjee, MP from Hooghly was also present at the rally. Observers in the TMC camp claimed that this shows the thin support base of the BJP in the state, but those in BJP, especially the ground workers claim that the lesser crowd cannot be taken as a mark of a thin support base. The BJP-camp workers stated that many are afraid to come out because they fear that they may face retribution from the TMC leadership. But, TMC leaders have claimed that all are free to express their political orientation without fear.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

Many leaders in the Trinamool Congress including half a dozen MLAs have come out in the open protesting against the party decision to deny them ticket. Some of them broke down before journalists while expressing disappointment and some expressed willingness to join the BJP.

Such leaders include Sonali Guha, Satgachia MLA, and close confidant of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “Why did she do this to me? I was like her family member. She did not even call to tell me why I was denied ticket,” Ms. Guha said. She said that she approached BJP leader Mukul Roy and was keen on joining the saffron party. Dipali Saha, MLA from Sonamukhi in Bankura, who was also denied the ticket joined the BJP on Saturday.

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

Other TMC MLAs who could not hide their emotions include Moinuddin Shams (Nalhati), Naresh Barui (Dubrajpur) and Shampa Daripa (Bankura). Jatu Lahiri, 84, MLA from Shibpur in Howrah district, also announced his decision to quit the TMC. Party strongman and former MLA Arabul Islam has also made his disappointment public after being denied ticket from Bhangar in South 24 Parganas. Not only were there protests but supporters also blocked prominent roads and national highways. In places like Bhangar, they even attacked party offices.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Sources in the TMC said that there was no question of any alterations to the list announced on Saturday. The list is a result of careful surveys conducted over the past several months and the party has given importance to winnability.

More than 26 MLAs have been dropped from the list. Political commentator and psephologist Biswanath Chakraborty said that such protests will not be limited to the TMC and the BJP will have to grapple with them once the full list is announced.

“This tells volumes about the nature of politics here. In fact, the disappointment is also linked with the loss of economic clout as an MLA. This explains quitting the party and joining the other party within hours after being denied ticket,” Mr. Chakraborty, who is head of political science at the Rabindra Bharati University, said.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

Days ahead of the first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal, BJP announced its first list of candidates for the first two phases of the high-stake polls. The state is set to see a key battle at Nandigram between Trinamool Congress supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her former aide Suvendu Adhikari, who recently switched to BJP.

The list comes a day after the ruling party-TMC announced its candidates for the polls.

The state goes to polls in eight phases, March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26, and April 29. The results for the 294 assembly seats will be declared on May 2.

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BJP’s rally at Brigade Parade Grounds to have Mithun Chakraborty-Prosenjit Chatterjee vehemently denies speculation of joining the saffron party

BJP's rally at Brigade Parade Grounds

The First campaign rally of Modi at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds on Sunday is set to run on a double engine of showbiz star power and some promised “surprises”, including the possible presence of many among the 28 Trinamool MLAs who missed out on party tickets to seek re-election.

Former Trinamool Congress MP Mithun Chakraborty is also expected to attend the rally, according to BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.

The rally is significant as it will mark the culmination of the BJP’s “Parivartan Yatra”.

Among a string of defections from TMC to BJP, former railway minister and Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi formally joined BJP in Delhi and said in party president JP Nadda’s presence, “I have joined the people’s family.” He promised to be part of Modi’s Brigade roadshow.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a ‘padayatra’ in Siliguri to protest against the steep hike in fuel prices, including LPG cylinders.

Deputy speaker and Satgachhia MLA Sonali Guha and Trinamool veteran Jotu Lahiri, who is the sitting legislator from Shibpur, have already spoken of leaving CM Mamata Banerjee’s party. Bengal BJP insiders hinted at some more “surprises”.

The saffron party has not yet given up on BCCI president Sourav Ganguly,  joining the Brigade show.

BJP functionaries said that they were “expecting another stalwart from the cultural field”, triggering a buzz about top Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee going down the saffron path. The actor, however, protested vehemently. He said, “I do not know why such a rumour is being spread. Honestly, nobody from BJP has even approached me to be at the Brigade rally. I am in Pune right now, shooting for an advertorial, and will be here till March 21-22. I do not know why my name is being dragged into all this.”

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List of candidates announced for 291 of the 294 assembly seats to be contested in the West Bengal polls

West Bengal polls

For the upcoming state election, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced the list of candidates for 291 Assembly seats out of the total 294. The remaining three seats in Darjeeling will be contested by TMC allies, she said. While announcing the candidate list, Mamata said, “Have faith in me, only TMC can take Bengal to new heights.”

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Putting all speculations to rest, the Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee announced that she will contest from Nandigram seat. This sets up the battle of Nandigram between her and in all possibilities, Suvendu Adhikari, who switched to BJP from TMC. “Today, we are releasing a list of 291 candidates which includes 50 women, 42 Muslim candidates. On 3 seats of north Bengal, we are not putting up our candidates. I will contest from Nandigram,” she said.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

“From Bhowanipore constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay will be contesting in the upcoming assembly elections,” Banerjee added. Bengali film director Raj Chakraborty will contest from Barrackpore, while TMC turncoat Sovan Chatterjee’s estranged wife Ratna Chatterjee has been fielded from Sovan’s seat.

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Bengal election update: In Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari likely to have an electoral face-off with Mamata Banerjee

Mamata-Suv

Political battlelines are drawn for the face-off in West Bengal assembly election 2021. A report on Friday confirmed that Suvendu Adhikari will be fighting polls against Mamata Banerjee from the Nandigram seat. According to a report by India Today, a source confirmed the development following BJP’s central election committee (CEC) meeting yesterday. The meeting was attended by Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda. Meanwhile, the BJP is expected to release the first list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal polls in a day or two. The saffron camp has shortlisted on an average of 4-5 names per seat for the initial two phases of polling in the state.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

All eyes are set on Nandigram as it will witness a high-profile contest between Adikari and Mamata. Adhikari had earlier asserted that he will defeat his former boss by “at least 50,000 votes” if fielded from the Nandigram constituency.

Adhikari held a key position in the TMC-led West Bengal cabinet and was in charge of the state’s transport, irrigation, and waterways in the Mamata Banerjee government. He, last year, tendered his resignation and switched over to BJP.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

State party chief Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will definitely win atleast 200 of the total 294 Assembly seats. “We will not get less than 200 (seats). It will definitely be more than 200. We did not begin preparations today, we had started five years back,” said Ghosh. But, if reports of the local Bengali dailies are to be believed, then the BJP-high command are in fact asking the contenders in the various seats in the state, whether they will be able to win, which confirms the assertion made by I-PAC chief Prashant Kishor.

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Bengal election update: Accusing Deputy EC Sudeep Jain of being biased, TMC asked for his removal

sudeep-jain-election-commission

On Thursday, the ruling party in West Bengal, TMC demanded the removal of Sudeep Jain, the deputy election commissioner in-charge of the state, accusing him of being biased against it and breaking norms of the federal structure. Apart from this, the Shiv Sena has announced that it will not contest the upcoming West Bengal polls and extended its support to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Shiv Sena MP in RS, Sanjay Raut, who is also the executive editor of the Marathi Newspaper Saamna, described the Bengal polls as the fight between the Money, Media & Muscle of BJP vs Mamata; an all vs Didi battle.

Also Read: West Bengal is a tough battlefield for BJP-an overview from historical, cultural & economic standpoints

The BJP is in the process to finalize the list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam. The party is preparing to draw up a list of 60 candidates for the first two phases of the Assembly polls starting March 27, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has said. The party has held another round of its election committee meeting at its party office in Hastings, Kolkata before central and state leaders left for Delhi.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

For the elections in the southern states,  the saffron party has announced E Sreedharan, popularly known as the ‘Metro Man’, as the party’s chief minister candidate for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. Sreedharan, 88, joined the BJP last week. BJP state president K Surendran, currently on a state-wide political tour dubbed as Vijay Yatra, announced the decision. “The party will soon release a list of other candidates as well,” he said.

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Challenges for TMC from two sides in the Bengal battle of 3Ms vs Mamata

Mamata+ Tmc

Four states and a union territory are going to witness a large electoral exercise in the first major elections in India after the Bihar polls.

In this context, the ruling party in West Bengal, TMC is caught between the saffron camp of BJP which is trying to make inroads into Bengal polity & the greenhorn like Indian secular front (ISF), which has been founded by the Pirzada of Furfura Sharif.

Leadership of Shiv sena in Maharashtra has clearly stated that it would not contest the Bengal election and that it supports the CM & TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, with Sanjay Raut tweeting that the State election would be a battle between Money, Media, Muscle of BJP vs the Mamata.

Central election committee of BJP, in this regard, may soon announce it’s first  list of 60 candidates for the Bengal election.

While TMC has itself been blamed numerous times of appeasement politics, it has maintained that it works on a social and secular line. To assuage the doubts about it’s non-appeasing secular credentials, it has given monetary benefits to Durga Puja committees & it has been selecting leaders from across the communities.

Another headache-inducing concern for the TMC camp, prior to election, has been the association between the newbie party ISF & the Left-Congress alliance, which had recently hosted a huge rally at the Brigade ground, Kolkata.

On the other hand, BJP is going all guns blazing with new members and leaders from TMC who have defected to the saffron camp, bouying the sentiments among the ground level workers.

But, at the ground level, the BJP men are vastly outnumbered by the TMC cadres.

This, on the other hand, does not shield the TMC from the challenges posed by the ISF.

The regions where the Pirzada, Abbas Siddique, who founded the ISF, has a strong hold and influence can see a plummeting share of votes for the TMC.

And, association of ISF with the Left and Congress can help them play around with & salvage some non-BJP Hindu votes which were lost to TMC, which can be problematic for TMC & BJP. But this association can also turn out to be beneficial for BJP, given the religious tone and background of the ISF founder Siddique, which can be used by the saffron party to play it’s own religious identify card.

The saffron camp is hoping to make a breakthrough in the Bengal election, especially through its vociferous IT cell campaign where many fake stories & narratives are known to be permeated through the social media. It is also pinning it’s hope on the likes of Rajeeb Banerjee whose clean image can be big plus or Suvendu Adhikari, whose influence can help change the political calculus in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Murshidabad and Malda. BJP is also relying on the appeal of the projects like ‘Lokkho Sonar Bangla’ where the saffron party says that it is seeking citizens’ participation in preparation of manifesto.

TMC, helped by the professional expertise of I-PAC (under Prashant Kishor), can not unsee or ignore these developments. It will be worthwhile to see how deftly can TMC undo the impacts of the recent rounds of defections, which many have compared to house-cleaning.

In this context, a prominent drawback of BJP in Bengal is that it is made up of leaders who are nothing but suave opportunists, and they are cut off from the ground level sentiments in the state.

They are in BJP only in search of better political future, not for ideological inclination, or for that matter, people’s welfare.

For the TMC, the challenges originate not only from the BJP which is using the 3Ms- money, media, & muscle, as stated by the Shiv Sena leader-Raut, but also from the ISF which is using a different kind of polarization game, which has been criticized even by Congress leaders like Anand Sharma (a member of G-23 dissenter group).

Hence, the Bengal election 2021 would be a true testing ground for the political appeal of  TMC in an age of social media and the acumen of I-PAC, whose chief-Kishor has challenged that BJP would struggle to cross double digits.

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Mamata Banerjee authorized by TMC to take the final call on selecting the candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls

Mamata-bannerjee

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has been authorized by her party to take the final call on selecting the candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls. The decision was taken at a meeting of 12-member election committee of the TMC at her residence in Kalighat on Monday.

“Today, the election committee authorized Mamata Banerjee to take the final call regarding selecting candidates,” a senior TMC leader said.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Several sitting MLAs could be dropped from the candidate list, as stated by senior leaders of the TMC who are aware of the developments. The party is planning to nominate more youths, women, and leaders with clean image and acceptability in their area, as highlighted by the leaders mentioned above.

A party leader, who was present at the meeting, said that elderly MLAs above 75 years of age are likely to be dropped.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

Banerjee, who first became chief minister in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016, has pitched herself as a ‘daughter of the soil’ for the forthcoming elections.

In 2016, the TMC won 211 seats in the 294-member House. The Left-Congress alliance had bagged 77 seats, and the BJP three.

Also Read: West Bengal is a tough battlefield for BJP-an overview from historical, cultural & economic standpoints

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced the poll schedule for West Bengal. As per the schedule, the state will vote across eight phases, between March 27 and April 29. The other six dates on which polling will take place are April 1, 6, 10, 17, 22, and 26. Counting of votes for all 294 assembly constituencies will take place on May 2 and results will be announced the same day.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav met Banerjee on Monday and appealed to the people from Bihar domiciled here to vote for TMC. He said that the upcoming polls will be a fight for saving “ideals and values”.

(PTI)

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Turncoats from TMC including Rajeeb Banerjee headed to New Delhi in a chartered flight to join BJP

New boat-jumpers from TMC, including Rajeeb Banerjee, joined BJP, in the run-up to the West Bengal election 2021 as the weekend tour of Amit Shah to the state of West-Bengal stood cancelled.

Six Trinamul turncoats, including former minister Rajib Banerjee, joined the BJP at Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi late on Saturday after they took a chartered flight to the capital on the Union home minister’s “orders”.

“We have been handed over the BJP flag and formally inducted into the party by Amit Shah,” said Rajeeb Banerjee. The others who joined the BJP with him were expelled Trinamul MLA Baishali Dalmia, former mayor of Howrah-Rathin Chakraborty, MLA Prabir Ghoshal, former chairman of Ranaghat municipality-Parthasarathi Chattopadhyay and actor Rudranil Ghosh.

Also Read: Evolution of Anti-defection laws in India

Amit Shah added, “I am sure their induction will further strengthen the BJP’s fight for Sonar Bangla.”  BJP leader and a former member of TMC, Mukul Roy, along with his colleague Kailash Vijayvargiya were also present along with the turncoats.

Not giving much importance to the joining, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told a regional news channel, “It will not hamper the Trinamool at all. I just request all the turncoats to contest elections from their present constituencies only in the elections and do not switch to other seats.”

Also See: Trilateral fight in West Bengal- issue with the Left

BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy and the party’s Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya had accompanied five of the six inductees in the special flight to Delhi. Actor Ghosh did not take the flight to Delhi but was present at Shah’s home.

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

These inductions were to be held in Shah’s presence at a rally in Dumurjola on Sunday but he had to cancel his weekend Bengal visit on Friday. “Shah will address the rally at Dumurjola virtually,” Dalmia said outside Shah’s residence.