Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) received a fresh blow ahead of the Lok Sabha elections as MP Arjun Singh, who was apparently miffed at being denied a ticket from Barrackpore constituency, said he will return to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Singh said the TMC did not keep its promise to nominate him from Barrackpore seat.
Singh confirmed that another 'top TMC leader' will join the BJP alongside him. "When I joined the Trinamool Congress in 2022, I was promised that I would be re-nominated as the TMC's candidate from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat. But the party did not keep its promise and betrayed me. So, I have decided to return to the BJP," he said.
Arjun Singh has a history of switching sides. He started his political career with Congress in 1995. Later in 2001, Singh joined TMC. In 2019, he switched to the BJP and won the Barrackpore seat on the saffron party ticket, but due to some differences in the party, he returned to TMC in 2022.
Sources earlier said Singh was likely to rejoin the BJP after being denied the Barrackpore ticket. While speaking to a news agency ANI, Singh went against the party line by praising the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying it was a historical move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would oppose CAA.
The sources at the time said the TMC is making efforts to pacify Singh by offering another seat or a ministerial post in the government. Singh could be brought in place of Taposh Rai. TMC on Sunday named Naihati MLA and state minister Partha Bhowmick as the candidate from Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat giving a big blow to incumbent MP Arjun Singh.
Speaking on the BJP's electoral prospects in the upcoming elections in West Bengal, Singh said the Lok Sabha results in West Bengal will be a repeat of 2019. Singh remorsed saying his good performance in 2019 was a mistake which is why he was denied the ticket, adding he felt like he was cheated by the party.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday (March 10) announced 42 candidates of the TMC for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party will go solo in the general elections in the state, ditching Congress which is a part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
In a massive announcement, Abhishek Banerjee will hit the electoral field and has been given a ticket from Diamond Harbour. Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from Lok Sabha, has been fielded from Krishnanagar. Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan has been fielded from Baharampur.
(with PTI inputs)
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