Kolkata: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday asked people to vote for BJP instead of Trinamool Congress in Berhampore during an election rally. "Instead of voting for TMC, it is better to vote for BJP," said Chowdhury. 

This remark comes amid West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's repeated attacks on its INDI allies during her recent election rallies. She has urged people not to vote for either Congress or CPM, as Mamata has claimed that they are BJP's B-Team in West Bengal. "Forget about our alliance in New Delhi. If you vote for either Congress or CPM in Bengal you're strengthening the BJP. Here both CPM and Congress are BJP's B-Team."

Following Adhir Ranjan's remarks, the same ‘B-team’ charge was echoed by Abhishek Banerjee. Addressing a rally in Uttar Malda, Abhishek said, "It's been almost five years they have put agencies behind me.. Several leaders of TMC have been illegally imprisoned for years.. Even after Adhir Chowdhury's name was in Sarada Scam, ED and CBI did not gave him a single notice…Left and Congress in Bengal working as BJP's B team.

The video was initially shared TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev on X, which read, "Meet the ⁦@INCIndia⁩ star campaigner for BJP in Bengal. ⁦@adhirrcinc⁩ Leader of the House of Lok Sabha."

In the run-up to the polls both Adhir Ranjan and Mamata called each others' parties as BJP's B-Team. The talks among the INDI allies failed as TMC decided to go solo in all the 42 seats. However, the acrimonious relationship between Adhir Ranjan and the TMC in public amid the seat-sharing talks was one of the primary reason for the INDI bloc withering away in West Bengal. Mamata's party spokesperson even went to the extent of calling Congress BJP's ‘dalal’ in West Bengal. Adhir Ranjan didn't shy away from calling out the Mamata government after Sandeshkhali fallout or saying that the party is “suffering from the cancer of corruption and factionalism.”

Sitting MP since 1999, Adhir Ranjan is up against former Indian cricketer and Trinamool's Yusuf Pathan and renowned surgeon Dr Nirmal Kumar Saha from the BJP.