2 councillors ditch BJP, return to TMC

KOLKATA/MIDNAPORE:TWO councillors on Monday rejoined West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Nadia district over a month after they defected to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Sugi Soren, councillor of [Haringhata municipality] ward 7, and Soumendranath Banerjee, councillor of ward 17… felt that they committed a mistake by joining the BJP and appealed to the party [TMC] to accommodate them. After getting permission from our leader [chief minister] Mamata Banerjee, we have taken them back,” said state minister and TMC’S Nadia district observer, Rajib Banerjee.

Banerjee said they joined the BJP on June 15 following some misunderstanding with the TMC leaders. “…We realised within a few days that we will not be able to work there,” said Soumendranath Banerjee.

There have been a series of defections from the TMC to BJP since the latter made inroads into the state by winning 18 of West Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in the April-may national polls.

In Haringhata Municipality, TMC councillors represented all 17 wards. Eight of them joined the BJP and reduced the TMC’S strength to nine.

“Though we won the municipality chairman’s election with a margin of one vote, we wanted to wean away a few councillors who had gone to the BJP. Now, our position has been cemented in the municipality,” said a TMC leader on condition of anonymity.

Local BJP leader, Manabendra Roy, said they were not bothered about those who have gone back to the TMC. “But the people would not support opportunists.”

Many councillors of Bhatpara, Halisahar, Kanchrapara, Naihati, Garulia, Bongaon and Darjeeling municipalities joined the BJP after the April-may election.