WB Congress MLAs made to sign affidavit to check defection

It might look like a jittery move, the West Bengal Congress has proposed that its newly elected MLAs should sign an affidavit declaring that they would not leave the party.

In order to prevent defection to the Trinamool Congress, as is widely speculated, Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury yesterday proposed the 44 legislators sign affidavit declaring they would not leave the party.

In a meeting with the new Congress MLAs at the party office here, Chowdhury made the proposal, to which all agreed, senior leader Manas Bhuniya, who attended the meeting, said.

"In the meeting, it was decided that all MLAs will have to sign a memorandum (written on stamp paper) stating that they will not leave the party. If they want to, they must resign from the post of MLA... And they will not talk against the party," Bhuniya said.

In the recently concluded assembly polls the Congress has emerged as the second largest party, winning 44 seats. The CPM, with which the Congress had allied won 29 seats. 

Trinamool Congress swept the polls winning 211 seats. 

(Image: File image of Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury)