T20 Has Begun, Says BJP’s Dilip Ghosh as TMC MLAs, Councillors Reach Delhi to Join BJP

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BJP leader Mukul Roy's son Subhrangshu, who was recently suspended from the Trinamool Congress, may join BJP on Tuesday along with other TMC legislators.

Kolkata: Days after suffering a massive setback in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, troubles for Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government mounted on Tuesday when a section of MLAs and councillors from the ruling party reached New Delhi to join the BJP.

Dilip Ghosh, Bengal BJP president, confirmed the news, saying: “I don’t know about the total number of MLAs and councillors who are joining today, but yes, it is true that some of them are in Delhi to join our party in the presence of central leaders. Mukul Roy is leading the team and he is with them in Delhi.”

“Now our target is ‘5, SN Banerjee Road’, the headquarters of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The next target would be Assembly elections in 2021. We have started the T20 match and our target is to get maximum runs in less overs,” he told News18.

Senior BJP leader Sunil Deodhar had also recently claimed that TMC councillors are in touch with the party.

Another senior BJP leader said Silbhadra Datta, MLA from Barrackpur, and Mukul Roy’s son Subhranshu (two-time MLA from Bijpur in North 24 Parganas) are joining the saffron party on Tuesday. “There are eight to 10 TMC councillors who are also joining us,” said the party leader on the condition of anonymity.

On May 24, Subhranshu was suspended for six years from the Trinamool Congress for crossing the party line. Silbhadra Datta, known to be a Mukul Roy loyalist, was also suspended by the party in 2015 for anti-party activities. He was later reinstated and won the 2016 assembly polls from Barrackpore.

After winning 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal this general elections, the BJP is now eyeing next year’s civic polls to set the stage for 2021 assembly elections. The aim is to take on chief minister Mamata Banerjee in what will perhaps be her toughest challenge to retain her citadel from the saffron surge.

Even in Banerjee’s own ward (number 73), the BJP was ahead by nearly 490 votes. “Not only did we wrest 18 seats from the ruling TMC, we did well in nearly 51 out of 144 wards under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). This shows that our chances are very bright for next year’s civic polls,” Ghosh said.