82 families in N Bengal quit BJP & join TMC

Cooch Behar: Ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, BJP has suffered a major setback in Cooch Behar district as 82 families from the saffron camp in Balarampur (I and II) gram panchayat joined the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.

On Tuesday night, North Bengal Development minister Rabindra Nath Ghosh handed over the party flags to the new entrants at a programme, attended by Tufanganj

(Block I) Secretary Manoj Barman among other dignitaries.

"People cast their votes to seek development in the state. For development, they will have to support Trinamool Congress. That's the reason why people are leaving BJP to join the Trinamool Congress party,"

said Ghosh. As reported in a news network, the new entrants claimed that they quit BJP as they weren't getting the opportunity to work. They alleged that BJP believes in divisive politics and makes false promises. "We joined Trinamool Congress party to become a part of the developmental works carried out by the ruling government. That's why we quit BJP ahead of the polls," they

claimed.

Meanwhile, TMC is working to strengthen its foundation in North Bengal. Few days back, Trinamool Congress MP and president of the party's

youth wing Abhishek Banerjee had visited North Bengal. He conducted several meetings with the local leaders. He had also urged the party workers to put up a united fight against

the BJP.