Three former members of the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha, who resigned last month, have now joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal. The joining took place at the BJP’s state headquarters in Salt Lake, Kolkata. The three leaders – Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik – were welcomed by BJP’s state president in West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya.
Bhattacharya emphasized that the decision to allow Roy, Dev, and Baraik to join the BJP should be seen as an exceptional case. He clarified that this move does not indicate a blanket welcome to all members from the Trinamool Congress. The three leaders were highlighted for their clean track records without any corruption allegations during their tenure in the Trinamool.
There are speculations that the BJP might nominate these three leaders for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-elections on July 24, which were necessitated by their resignations. Bhattacharya neither confirmed nor denied this possibility, stating that discussions on this matter are ongoing. Roy, Dev, and Baraik had resigned from the Rajya Sabha on different dates in June.
