Kolkata: Speculations are on over five Congress MLAs joining Trinamool. Though Trinamool leaders are tightlipped over the issue, sources said that they have met party secretary general Partha Chatterjee and submitted a letter expressing their willingness to join the party.
These MLAs are Moinul Haque, Abu Taher Khan and Akhrujjaman from Murshidabad and Samar Mukhopadhyay and Sabina Yasmin from Malda. Apurba Sarkar, an MLA from Murshidabad, has already joined Trinamool Congress.
It may be mentioned that 11 Congress MLAs have already joined Trinamool and with the joining of these five, the total number of Congress MLAs joining the ruling party will be 16.
Congress got 44 seats when Trinamool came back for the second time after the 2016 Assembly election. Madhusudan Ghosh, who was elected from Noapara, died and so a by-election was held, which Trinamool won. Manas Bhuniya joined Trinamool and is now a Rajya Sabha member.
With the joining of three MLAs, Murshidabad Congress will be the worst hit. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had appointed Suvendu Adhikari to look after the district, which was said to be a Congress stronghold under Adhir Chowdhury.
Under Adhikari's leadership, Trinamool won the Panchayat election and he persuaded 11 leaders to join Trinamool. Murshidabad is a traditional Congress stronghold, where Atish Chandra Sinha was the leader of Opposition. Chowdhury had trouble with Sinha, who later became insignificant in Murshidabad politics.
Though Trinamool had bagged 211 seats in 2016, it does not have any representation in Malda, after two of its ministers, Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury and Sabitri Mitra, lost. Malda is a Congress stronghold since the time of ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury. With the joining of two MLAs, Congress will lose much of its steam in the district.
Speculations are on that Khan Chowdhury's brother AHA Khan Chowdhury and his niece Mousum Noor are likely to join Trinamool as well.