West Bengal Assembly polls 2021: After ticket snub, several sitting TMC MLAs mull over switching parties

Kolkata: After their tickets for contesting the upcoming Assembly polls were denied, several TMC MLAs are now hinting at joining the BJP.

After cricketer Manoj Tiwary’s name featured in the TMC’s candidate list, ace politician and Shibpur MLA Jatu Lahiri said that despite all hardships he was not given the ticket to fight the polls for which he wants to defect to the saffron camp.

“I am there with TMC since its birth. Now owing to the ‘misguidance’ of the poll strategist, the TMC is taking all wrong decisions. On one side the party claims to be poor and on the other side, they are spending 400 crores to poll strategists. I am sure to win from whichever party I contest from as the one whom the TMC fielded have no connect with the electorates,” said the sitting TMC MLA of Shibpur.

Among other TMC dissenters are Satgachia MLA Sonali Guha, former Bhangar MLA Arabul Islam, Basirhat Dakshin MLA Dipendu Biswas and Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharjee.

Sonali Guha stated that she had called BJP national vice president Mukul Roy and had expressed her interest to join the saffron camp. “Despite working hard I am denied a ticket. No one from the party has called me. I am a politician and can’t live without politics. I said Mukul Roy that I don’t want to contest but want a decent post in the party and I will also participate in their campaigns,” mentioned former deputy speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Calling TMC the ‘B’ party of the BJP, sitting Trinamool Congress MLA from Nalhati, Moinuddin Shams also quit the party and visited the headquarter of Forward Bloc and claimed that it was his mistake to join the TMC.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that TMC’s Becharam Manna called him seeking a ticket from Congress to fight the poll.

“Manna wasn’t sure of getting a ticket so he wanted to defect to Congress for a ticket to fight the polls anywhere from Howrah,” mentioned the leader of opposition in the parliament.

Notably, citing age-related issues, the TMC supremo didn’t give ticket to its sitting MLA of Singur Rabindranath Bhattacharya, and had given ticket to Becharam Manna instead.

Crying foul against Adhir’s comment, Manna challenged the West Bengal Congress chief to submit proof.