December 20, 2020 4:19:12 am
Former TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari (left) joined BJP at Shah’s rally in Midnapore on Saturday. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
To shake up the ruling party in West Bengal, where the Assembly elections are due to take place before next summer, 10 TMC MLAs, a MP and a former MP joined the BJP at the public meeting in Midnapore on Saturday.
Among them are former TMC and MLA heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari; Bardhaman Purba MP Sunil Kumar Mondal; six other TMC MLAs; an MLA from CPI, CPM and Congress; various TMC district leaders and councilors. While the TMC dismissed them as good layoffs, their number, the range of their political affiliation and their experience, BJP leaders said, were straws in the changing wind.
The induced
Suvendu Adhikari (TMC MLA, former Minister of State)Congress Leader Chhatra Parishad at the age of 20, joined the cooperative movement in Midnapore in 1996. Three years later, he joined the TMC. During the Nandigram movement, Adhikari became one of Mamata Banerjee’s important lieutenants. According to a section of the TMC, it played an important role during the 2011 assembly elections when the TMC obtained a majority for the first time. He was a Tamluk MP in 2009 and 2014. In 2016, he resigned as a MP and became a Nandigram MP. He was a key member of Banerjee’s second cabinet.
Sunil Kumar Mondal (TMC MP): He began his political career at Forward Bloc, a partner in the Left Front, and was elected MLA from Galsi in 2011. As Forward Bloc MLA, he voted for the Trinamool Congressional candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections in February 2014. Subsequently, he was joined the Trinamool Congress. He has been chosen for Lok Sabha twice from Bardhaman Purba. He is known to be a close collaborator of Mukul Roy.
Shilbhadra Dutta (TMC MLA): He began his political career as the leader of the Chhatra Parishad Congress. Later he joined Congress. In 2006, it was changed to TMC. He was named TMYC (Trinamool Youth Congress) district youth president in 2009. Elected Barrackpore MLA in 2011, he was re-elected in 2016.
Tapasi Mondol (CPM MLA): In the 2016 assembly elections, the CPM district leader, Tapasi Mondal, was a candidate of the Left Front of the Haldia district of the Purba Medinipur district.
Ashok Dinda (CPI MLA): Dinda, a former CPI leader, was elected MLA from Tamluk de Purba Midnapore in 2016. He was the face of the CPI in the Purba Midnapore district.
Sudip Mukherjee (MLA Congress): He was elected MLA of Purulia in 2016 as a candidate for Congress. He had a long association with Congress.
Saikat Panja (TMC MLA): He was elected TMC MLA of Manteswar during the by-elections in November 2016 after his father and the acting MLA, Sajal Panja, passed away. He became a rebel in the last three or four months.
Dipali Biswas (TMC MLA): In the 2016 assembly elections, Dipali Biswas ran in the Gazole constituency as a CPM candidate. After Suvendu Adhikari became the observer for Malda’s party, Biswas joined the TMC in July 2016.
Sukra Munda (TMC MLA): Nagrakata MLA in Alipurduar district. In 2011, the TMC had an alliance with Congress and Congressional candidate Joseph Munda won the Nagrakata seat. But in 2016, TMC named Sukra as its candidate and he won.
Biswajit Kundu (TMC MLA): Kalna’s two-period MLA. Chosen from Kalna in 2011, he won again in 2016. A close associate of Suvendu Adhikari, he was one of the MLA who met at Sunil Mondal’s residence with Adhikari after his resignation as MLA.
Banashree Maity (TMC MLA): Represents the Kanthi Uttar constituency of East Midnapore. It is said that he is close to the Adhikari family. He won from Kanthi in 2011 and 2016.
Shyamaprasad Mukherjee (ex TMC MLA): It is used to represent the Bishnupur constituency in the Bankura district. He was also a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s first cabinet. After his name appeared on the checking fund case, he was removed from the cabinet. He lost the 2016 Bishnupur election.
Dasrath Tirkey (former TMC MP): He joined TMC from RSP in 2014 and was elected deputy from Alipurduar. He lost to John Barla of BJP in 2019. It was a three-term MLA (2001, 2006 and 2011) of Kumargram and MoS PWD during the Left Front government.
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