Bengal’s 21 BJP leaders set to join TMC, say reports

 There are reports that West Bengal’s BJP leaders are set to join Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC)  

Kolkata: Several West Bengal BJP leaders including MPs and one MLA are set to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

According to reports, 21 senior leaders which include four MPs, one MLA and as many as 16 councillors are set to leave the saffron party for Mamata Banarjee's TMC.

The BJP's Bengal unit is frustrated with state party president Dilip Ghosh and also escalated the matter with Union home minister Amit Shah in the recent past for solution, said reports.

"BJP has lost track in Bengal. There is a power tussle between Dilip Ghosh and Mukul Roy. And there is another camp. The central leadership knows everything but they have not taken any action. Dilip Ghosh is not liked by all, there are issues now. He has a sharp tongue and leaders who came from TMC have been made redundant by him, he never approved their joining,” a media house quoted the statement to a first-time MP and a BJP leader.

The development has not gone down well with BJP's controversial leader Kailash Vijayvargiya and took to Twitter to respond to the situation.

He wrote, “Some news channels are running mischievous reports about BJP MPs joining the TMC. We condemn any such reports. All MPs are with the BJP and working under the leadership of Modi ji.”

During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 18 seats out of 42 in Bengal. With this win, the national party is aiming to come to power in the state by unseating chief minister Mamata in the 2021 Assembly election.