Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Biswajit Das on Tuesday returned to the Trinamool Congress. He had left West Bengal’s ruling party to join BJP in 2019.
Das, who is an MLA from the Bagda constituency, said he decided to leave the saffron party following some “misunderstandings” that should have never happened.
Das is the third BJP MLA to rejoin the Trinamool Congress after the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s victory in the Assembly elections in May. On Monday, Tanmay Ghosh had returned to the Trinamool Congress.
In June, BJP MLA and party’s national vice-president Mukul Roy rejoined the TMC, four years after he left the Mamata Banerjee-led party to join the saffron camp.
“I wanted to return to the TMC long ago,” Das said. “The BJP has done nothing for Bengal.”
“I have returned to my home now and I will continue to work for people of my state and constituency,” he told reporters.
After Das’ exit, the BJP’s strength in the West Bengal legislative Assembly has been reduced to 72. The BJP won 77 of the 292 seats of the West Bengal assembly that went to the polls. The Trinamool Congress won 213 seats, while ISF and GJM bagged one seat each.
“It is tough to do politics while staying in the Opposition,” BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya told Hindustan Times. “Some are leaving the BJP under pressure and fear of the Mamata Banerjee administration. Some are going out of greed of power,” he said.
Das joined the party in presence of TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee, news agency PTI reported.
