Suvendu Adhikari wields considerable influence over local leaders in some districts (Archive)
Calcutta:
Suvendu Adhikari from the Trinamool Congress resigned from Bengal’s legislative assembly today, taking one more step away from the party he openly rebelled against last month, resigning as a minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet. The 50-year-old is rumored to be joining the BJP during Union Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state later this week.
Trinamool has been fighting to retain Adhikari, who wields considerable influence over local party leaders in Malda, Murshidabad, Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore, where he was the party in charge.
After he left the ministry, the party was quick to bring main leader Sougata Roy to reason with him. Roy had even managed to get Adhikari to meet his bete noire in the party, the Trinamool MP and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee.
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor was present at the meeting, which Sougata Roy declared a success.
The next day, Adhikari texted Roy to say, “Excuse me, I can’t work like this anymore.”
.
