In blow to TMC, Arjun Singh returns to BJP, shares PM Modi's image

Sulking Trinamool Congress MP Arjun Singh, who was denied a ticket to seek a fresh term in the Lok Sabha from the Barrackpore constituency of West Bengal, returned to the BJP, dealing a blow to the ruling party in the state ahead of the upcoming electoral battle.

The BJP, which named 20 Lok Sabha candidates from West Bengal earlier, hasn't yet announced its pick for Barrackpore.

Taking to his official handle on X, Arjun Singh on Thursday posted an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a slogan in Bengali that translates to: "It's Modi again, say everyone".

Earlier on Wednesday, March 14, Singh hinted at his return to the BJP, saying that the TMC meted out 'injustice' to him.

The ruling party in the state, earlier, dropped Singh and fielded state minister and TMC MLA Partha Bhowmick, instead, from the Barrackpore seat for the Lok Sabha elections.

Singh started his political career by winning the Bhatpara Municipality Election as a councillor of the Congress before switching over to the TMC in 2001.

However, on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he quit the TMC and joined the BJP. Winning nomination from the Barrackpore seat, he trounced his TMC rival to make it to the Lower House.

However, a year after the BJP's defeat to the TMC in the 2021 Assembly elections, Singh returned to the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

At a massive show of strength in the heart of Kolkata, the TMC announced its candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state on March 10.

CM Mamata's nephew and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee announced the names of the party's candidates for the general elections.

Abhishek put himself in the fray again from Diamond Harbour in Purba Medinipur district while Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from the Lok Sabha in the Winter session last year in connection with the 'cash for query' case, was on the ticket again from the Krishnanagar constituency of Nadia.

Mukut Mani Adhikari, who recently quit the BJP, was given a ticket to contest the Ranaghat Lok Sabha seat.

Actor-turned-TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha entered the fray again from Asansol, a seat he won earlier in the 2022 Lok Sabha bypoll while Jagadish C Basuniya was fielded from Cooch Behar, Prakash Chik Baraik from Alipurduar, Nirmal Ch Roy from Jalpaiguri, and Gopal Lama from Darjeeling.

Krishna Kalyani was fielded from Raiganj while Biplab Mitra and Prasun Banerjee will contest from Balurghat and Malda Uttar seats respectively.