More opposition leaders join Bengal's ruling Trinamool

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress yet again got a shot in the arm following more desertions by elected representatives from the ranks of the opposition parties on Saturday.

"Three members of Murshidabad Zilla Parishad and 12 councillors of Jangipur Municipality join Trinamool," said party leader Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet.

The significance of the cross-over lay in Trinamool wresting control of the Jangipur Municipality where they did not have a single councillor till Saturday.

The Left Front had been running the board for years.

In the 21-ward municipality, the LF had 14 councillors, Congress five, and Bharatiya Janata Party and the Socialist Unity Centre of India-C one each.

During the day, seven LF councillors, four from the Congress and another from BJP switched over to the Trinamool giving it a majority of 12-9.

Only days back, the Trinamool had wrested the Kaliyaganj Municipality from the Congress following desertions from the latter.

Two days back, a legislator each from the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist joined the Trinamool during its annual Martyrs' Day rally.

Marxist legislator Dipali Biswas from Malda's Gazole constituency, and Congress' Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya, representing Bankura's Bishnupur formally switched allegiance to the Trinamool on Thursday.

Both Biswas and Bhattacharya had defeated Trinamool rivals in the recent assembly polls.

Beside the MLAs, 14 opposition councillors from three municipalities - North Dinajpur's Kaliaganj, West Midnapore's Khargapur and Purulia - also joined the Trinamool on July 21.

--IANS

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