Setback for Mamata Banerjee as Mukul Roy's son, two other MLAs and 50 councillors join BJP's West Bengal unit

In a major setback for West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP leader Mukul Roy’s son Subhrangshu, who was previously suspended from the All Indian Trinamool Congress (TMC), joined the BJP along with two state MLAs and 50 councillors from three civic bodies in North 24 Parganas district, on Tuesday.

Two of the three MLAs who joined the BJP are from TMC — Subhranshu Roy and Tusharkanti Bhattacharjee — while the third MLA Devendra Roy is from the CPM. The MLAs had reached Delhi on Monday along with 50councillors — most belonging to TMC — from Halisahar, Kanchrapara and Naihati municipalities.

Two TMC MLAs and one CPM MLA from West Bengal join BJP at party headquarters in Delhi. More than 50 Councillors also join BJP pic.twitter.com/9cJ0gTn9FC

— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2019

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Roy said, “Sixteen TMC Councillors of the Kanchrapara Municipality collectively have withdrawn from AITC Councillor’ Party.”

At the BJP press conference, senior party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed there were more TMC leaders willing to join the BJP and the jumping of the ship with continue in the coming days. “Like the elections were held in seven phases in West Bengal, inductions (in BJP) will also happen in seven phases. Today was just the first phase,” he said.

According to sources, Mukul had left for Delhi on Monday evening along with his son and other MLAs.

The TMC had recently suspended Subhrangshu for six years for anti-party comments.

“My father has advised me to be careful, as I may be implicated in a false criminal case, or may be attacked… I will join the BJP within two to three days,”  News18  had quoted Subhrangshu as saying on Monday.

Mukul, once considered to be the second-in-command of the TMC, had joined the BJP in November, 2017 after a fallout with party supremo Mamata. He is being credited for the stellar show of the BJP in West Bengal in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

With inputs from agencies