Trinamool Congress leader and rebel minister Suvendu Adhikari is likely to end months of suspense this week by formally joining the BJP.
Adhikari has disagreed with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and has not attended state cabinet meetings.
His induction is likely to come during Interior Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state later this week. Adhikari is expected to travel to Delhi before switching sides. The Union Interior Ministry is also expected to provide him with security, formalities that News18 has become aware of are currently in process.
The Trinamool Congress has already decided that it will not take any further initiative to convince disgruntled Adhikari to stay in the party. However, the party is open to hearing him, if he has something to say to Banerjee.
For the past few months, Adhikari was seen addressing rallies without wearing TMC symbols and flags. At all the rallies, a sea of people claiming to be ‘Amra Dadar Anugami’ (followers of the older brother) were seen marching behind Adhikari.
On November 27, Adhikari raised the political temperature by resigning from Banerjee’s cabinet. He resigned as Minister of Transport and Irrigation, but remains a Trinamool MLA.
Adhikari was the point man behind Banerjee’s movement at Nandigram in East Midnapore in 2007, which helped her topple a 34-year-old Left Front rule in Bengal.
On December 2, he reportedly expressed his dismay via a WhatsApp message to party deputy Saugata Roy over the details of the meeting (to resolve differences between him and the party) that were leaked to the media. stating that all the ‘problems’ were solved.
Adhikari, in her message, mentioned that she was supposed to address the media on December 6, but did not like the way the details of the meeting were shared with journalists before her scheduled press conference.
Interestingly, as the BJP goes crazy over Adhikari, the reality on the ground suggests that TMC has lost nine Lok Sabha seats out of the 13 where he is known as a mass leader and is believed to have enough influence among the people of Purulia, Jhargram, Murshidabad, Malda, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Bankura and in Bishnupur.
In total, there are 13 Lok Sabha seats and 86 Assembly seats in Purulia, Murshidabad, Malda, West Midnapore, Jhargram, East Midnapore, Bankura and in Bishnupur, where Suvendu Adhikari is believed to be an excellent foreman in booth management.
However, following the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, except for four seats, which are Kanthi (won by Suvendu’s father Sishir Adhikari on the TMC ticket, but BJP won by 33.54 percent vote share while Sishir loses 3.82 percent vote share), Tamluk Suvendu’s brother, Dibyendu on TMC ticket, but BJP won by 30.54 percent vote share, while Dibyendu loses 3.52 percent vote share), Jangipur (won by TMC’s Khalilur Rahman who defeated BJP’s Mafuja Khatun) and Murshidabad (won by TMC’s Abu Taher Khan). The seats were lost to the ruling TMC.
To be precise, the BJP alone managed to win seven of the 13 seats (two seats, including Berhampur and Malda South, went to Congress) and made great strides in these districts that are said to be the stronghold of Suvendu Adhikari.
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