Malda: More than 1K Cong-CPI(M) alliance workers join Trinamool

Malda: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee reached Malda on Thursday afternoon by helicopter from South Dinajpur. Banerjee is going to make Malda her election base for the next few days for her poll campaigns. In the evening, she is slated to have a meeting with the candidates of two seats of Malda. Banerjee is scheduled to start her campaign in Malda from April 20 in Manikchak and Gazole.

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Congress-CPI(M) alliance suffered a major blow in Harishchandrapur Assembly segment in Malda with over a thousand alliance workers along with three CPI(M) Panchayat members from Dahua, Balapathar and Latasi of Daulatpur defecting to TMC.

Tajmul Hossain, Minister of State for Textiles, handed over the party flag to them and welcomed them into the party fold in the presence of other local leaders of Harishchandrapur.

About 300 Congress and CPI(M) workers from Talshur village of Malior II Gram Panchayat (GP) joined the TMC. Jammu Rahaman, district Trinamool general secretary, and Tabarak Hossain, TMC block president handed over the party flag to the defectors who claimed that they were joining TMC for the development done by Mamata Banerjee.

Hossain said: “Impressed and influenced by the development activities carried out by Mamata Banerjee, more than 1,000 CPI(M) and Congress workers, including three CPI(M) GP members of the area joined Trinamool. We welcomed them. From today, they are members of our family.”

On the other hand, Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury, BJP candidate from South Malda seat, filed her nomination papers accompanied by a huge rally on Thursday morning.