Two TMC MLAs who joined BJP meet Mamata, fuel speculation

Two TMC MLAs who joined the BJP met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, fuelling speculation about their next political move. Bongaon MLA Biswajit Das and Noapara MLA Sunil Singh met Banerjee at her chamber in the assembly.

The two legislators claimed that they met the chief minister regarding development works in their constituencies, both of which are in the North 24 Parganas district.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh discarded any political motive behind the meeting, saying that they had given prior information to the party about it.

"Nothing should be read into it. As MLAs they can always meet the chief minister to discuss development issues in their constituencies," he said. Das and Singh had crossed over to the BJP following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but did not quit as TMC MLAs.

Following the meeting, the two MLAs said that the chief minister assured them to look into the issues they raised. The Trinamool Congress did not comment on the development.

Since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 18 MLAs and an MP of the Trinamool Congress, three MLAs each of the Congress and the CPI(M), and one of the CPI have joined the BJP.

However, except former ministers Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee none of them resigned as MLAs. Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly are likely to be held in April-May.