Big Blow To TMC As Ex- MPs Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik & Sukhen Shekhar Roy Join BJP In Kolkata

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a significant political setback on Thursday after three of its former Rajya Sabha MPs, Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik and Sukhen Shekhar Roy, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata.

The leaders were inducted into the BJP in the presence of West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, who welcomed them into the party and described their decision as a boost for the BJP in the state.

Addressing the gathering, Bhattacharya criticised successive governments in West Bengal, alleging that decades of political rule first under the Left Front and later under the TMC had weakened the spirit of cooperative federalism. He claimed that instead of working with the Centre, the state government chose confrontation, which, according to him, hindered development.

Bhattacharya said the three former parliamentarians had reposed faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and resigned from the TMC before joining the BJP. He praised their contributions in the Rajya Sabha, saying all three were experienced leaders whose parliamentary performances were widely recognised.

Calling the development a moment of celebration for the BJP, Bhattacharya extended a warm welcome to the leaders on behalf of the party's workers, senior leadership, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, and the entire state organisation.