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More than 50 TMC councillors join BJP, Vijayvargiya says it's the beginning

Three MLAs, one each from TMC, Congress and CPM, too have joined the BJP

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gestures as she speaks on her mobile during a sit-in over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police commissioner in connection with chit fund scams, in Kolkata. Photo: PTI

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1 min read Last Updated : May 28 2019 | 4:36 PM IST

In a major blow to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, 50-60 councillors and at least one member of legislative Assembly (MLA) of her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the latter’s headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. Besides, one MLA each of the Congress party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also crossed over to the BJP.

Saying this was just the beginning, Kailash Vijayvargiya, the BJP’s in-charge for West Bengal, clarified this exercise of switching sides en masse was no horse trading but a change of heart among councilors and MLAs from West Bengal.

The three MLAs who joined the BJP on Tuesday — days after the Narendra Modi-led BJP swept Lok Sabha elections 2019, bagging 303 seats, including 18 in West Bengal — are the TMC's Shubhranshu Roy (Bijpur), the Congress' Tushar Kanti Bhattacharjee (Bishnupur) and the CPI(M)'s Debendra Nath Roy (Hemtabad).