Those who left party can return: Mamata

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said the party would welcome the defectors if they wished to come back. Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said: "Those who had left the party can come back and we will welcome them."

More than 20 MLAs and councillors left the party after they felt suffocated before the election. Only two defectors—who had changed sides before the election—Suvendu Adhikari and Mihir Goswami got elected. The other defectors like Rajib Bandopadhyay, Baishali Dalmiya, Silbhadra Dutta, Rabindranath Bhattacharya, Prabir Ghosal and Sabyasachi Dutta were defeated.

The statement of Banerjee has raised speculations in the political circle about the homecoming of the defectors. Political experts said the BJP would disown them as the leaders had faced difficulties in addressing the differences that had cropped up between the old and the new party supporters. Under such a situation, it would be wiser for them to come back and join TMC if they wanted to remain in politics, political experts opined.