KOLKATA: As many as 750 persons, including three Gram Panchayat (GP) members from the BJP camp joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday evening at a programme at TMC party office in Balurghat.
The Trinamool party flags were also handed over to them in presence of district chairman of South Dinajpur TMC Nikhil Kumar Singha Roy, district party president Ujjwal Basak, party's state general secretary Goutam Das, district president of women wing of TMC Pradipta Chakraborty, Balurghat block TMC president Arup Kumar Sarkar and veteran party leader Subhas Chaki.
Speaking to the media persons, Arup Kumar Sarkar said: "About 750 persons, including 150 families of Balurghat block joined our party. Among them, there were three GP members who joined TMC from BJP. The rest of the persons belonged to different political parties including BJP, Left Front and Congress. This joining will definitely strengthen our party."
According to him, the BJP GP members were frustrated to work with the BJP and wished to leave the saffron camp to join the TMC.
"A few days ago, all the 750 people contacted us to join our party. All of them belonged to five GPs under Balurghat block. Many BJP workers and their representatives from the different GPs of Balurghat block are now on the way to leave the saffron camp for the lack of leaders who lead the party from the front in South Dinajpur. There will be a huge joining in our party from the BJP in Balurghat block soon," Sarkar said.