6 Cong MLAs in Tripura to join TMC

Six dissident Congress MLAs in Tripura, led by former Leader of the Opposition Sudip Roy Burman, on Tuesday submitted a letter to Assembly Speaker Ramendra Debnath saying they are quitting the party and joining the Trinamool Congress.

Of the six dissident MLAs, Burman, Biswabandhu Sen, Diba Chandra Hrankhawl and Asish Saha were present when the letter signed by the MLAs was handed over to the Speaker. Two other MLAs – Dilip Sarkar and Pranajit Sinha Roy – were physically not present on the ground that they were unwell but spoke to the Speaker over phone, official sources said. Burman said all the six MLAs would formally join Trinamool Congress and that TMC General Secretary Mukul Roy had arrived in the state on Tuesday from Kolkata. Burman has already been elected the leader of the TMC legislature group in Tripura.