New Delhi: The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had already done its homework to pave way for the induction of top Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders well before the Model Code of Conduct came into force last week.
The West Bengal BJP, led by Mukul Roy, was in talks with dissident TMC leaders regarding the seats that they will contest for more than four months and their formal induction was done soon after the code of conduct came into force as these leaders were wary of Mamata Banerjee using government agencies and other methods to damage them if they had joined the BJP before the election announcements. Some former TMC leaders who joined the BJP last week include Member of Parliament from Bolpur Anupam Hazra, MLA from Bhatpara Arjun Singh and Dulal Bar, MLA from Bagdah constituency in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.
Highly placed BJP sources have told The Sunday Guardian that other TMC leaders who are likely to join the BJP from West Bengal in the coming weeks, include the brother of Arjun Singh and MLA from Noapara constituency, Sunil Singh, Nepal Mahato, MLA from Baghmundi constituency in Purulia, Sabyasachi Dutta, MLA from Rajarhat near Kolkata, and Sudip Mukherjee, MLA from Purulia. Once a very senior leader of the TMC, Mukul Roy is spearheading the BJP’s campaign in the state and is considered as the instrumental factor in bringing in heavyweight leaders from the TMC to the BJP’s fold. The BJP is also likely to see some other disgruntled TMC leaders joining its fold in the coming days, especially those who have been denied tickets by Mamata Banerjee from their choice of seats.
A senior BJP functionary from West Bengal said: “Most of the TMC leaders who were or are feeling claustrophobic within the TMC were in touch with the BJP for some time now and wanted to join the party. They were waiting for the model code to be put in place to switch over as they were fearful of the ruling TMC government’s retribution against them in case they were perceived to be in proximity with the BJP leadership. Now that the code has come into effect and the state administration is not at the helm of affairs, we will see many more coming out and joining the BJP.”
The BJP does not have a concrete organisational structure and cadre in the state to achieve the target of winning 22 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, set by the party’s national president Amit Shah and the new entrants are likely to bring in their own cadre and political fortunes for the saffron party in several seats in the state.
For instance, Bhatpara MLA Arjun Singh is considered to be a heavyweight leader from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, having a huge cadre base and clout in the area and could well emerge victorious against TMC’s Dinesh Trivedi who is considered more as a Delhi-based leader.
Bolpur MP Anupam Hazra, who was believed to be close to Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and had worked closely to bring this seat into the TMC’s kitty in 2014—the seat was otherwise considered a CPM bastion as senior CPM leader former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had won from there seven times—is expected to make a dent into the TMC vote bank.
Also, the likely induction of Sabyasachi Dutta from Rajarhat will boost the fortunes of the BJP in Rajarhat, New Town and Salt Lake areas as Dutta holds a huge ground in the area and is considered highly influential among the cadre and voter base.
Similarly, in Purulia, the likely exit of two TMC MLAs and their entry into the BJP, is going to be beneficial for the latter party. The BJP is already banking on the anti-TMC sentiment among the tribals and locals in Purulia district. The BJP had also done well from Purulia district in the Panchayat elections held last year.