With the desertion of political heavyweights one after another from the ruling Trinamool Congress pre and post-Lok Sabha election, the spectre of a deep organisational vacuum is not only staring the party in the state but also leaving it in dire straits.
It all started with the once ‘Man-Friday’ of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and one of the founder members of the party Mukul Roy, who defected to the saffron brigade years back. The desertion of Mr Roy, known for his political sagacity and organisational acumen, was seen as a major setback to the ruling party, whose woes didn’t end here as party MPs from Bolpur Lok Sabha constituency in Birbhum district and Bishnupur Lok Sabha constituency in Bankura district Anupam Hazra and Soumitra Khan respectively also followed suit and came under the folder of the BJP.
Khan’s joining the BJP paid dividends as he made Trinamool heavyweight and state minister Subrata Mukherjee eat a humble pie from Bankura this Lok Sabha election. However, Hazra had to lick the dust from Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency to Tollywood sensation and Trinamool Congress Candidate Mimi Chakravarty, though his party came a close second.
And the last but not the least was the so-called ‘Bahubali’ of Bhatpara of North 24 Parganas district Arjun Singh, just days before the election after he was denied ticket to fight from Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency. Irked over the denial of allotment of a ticket by Ms Banerjee, Mr Singh joined the BJP and contested from the said constituency as a party candidate against Trinamool Congress’ two-time sitting MP Dinesh Trivedi.
With the polling day witnessing largescale violence in this constituency and after several swings on the counting day, Mr Singh finally managed to overcome Mr Trivedi by a slender margin. And even the son of Mr Singh, Pawan Singh, who was put up as a candidate from Bhatpara Assembly constituency, which falls under Barrackpore LS constituency, on the BJP ticket for the bypoll, literally decimated Trinamool Congress’ veteran hand Madan Mira, who was sidelined from the party for a long time because of his alleged involvement in Sarada chit fund scam.
And today stepping into his father’s shoes, Bengal BJP’s thinktank Mukul Roy’s son Subhranshu Roy, MLA, who was suspended from the ruling TMC for six years, is all set to join the saffron brigade. Junior Roy along with some Legislators and Councillors is expected to join the BJP in New Delhi late today. He is camping in the national capital along with some 29 Councillors from Halisahar, Kanchrapara and Naihati under North 24 Parganas district are all set to join the BJP formally at the party headquarters.
Before leaving for New Delhi, he said he would speak whatever he has to say only in New Delhi. Sources said besides 32 sitting Councillors from Kanchrapara, Halisahar and some from Naihati, few MLAs have joined him from South and North Bengal.
Thirty-one-year-old Roy was suspended for six years from the Trinamool Congress for anti-party activities on May 24, a day after Lok Sabha results were out, in the aftermath of his revelation that he couldn’t give a lead to TMC candidate Dinesh Trivedi from his Bijpur Assembly segment resulting in BJP candidate Arjun Singh’s victory for the first time from Barrackpore Parliament seat. Roy also acknowledged that his influence on the people was less than his father in the region and conceded Senior Roy’s supremacy among the voters and people in general.
” I am proud of my father’s ability and for his political acumen. He was one of the founding members of the TMC and he will bring an end to the ruling party in Bengal, ‘ junior Roy commented.
Mukul Roy reacting to the development said his son was politically matured enough to decide his political future and he had no idea of his son’s latest position. He said his son became an MLA by the dint of his own credibility and is much more capable than several other TMC Legislators.
Roy, known for his unrivalled sagacity in Bengal politics since dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Front in 2011 and subsequently orchestrating the BJP to win 18 seats in LS election, said in two to three months some 50/60 municipalities will come under the saffron brigade.
It might be mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently in an election campaign meeting in Bengal made no bones about it when he announced that at least 40 Trinamool Congress MLAs are ready to join the saffron brigade post-LS result, a comment which drew strong flak from the ruling party.
