Kolkata: In a major blow to the BJP in Nandigram, 33 BJP leaders and 550 workers joined Trinamool Congress at a function on Friday.
This a major setback for Suvendu Adhikari as it has caused a major dent in the organisation of BJP in Nandigram.
Soumen Mahapatra, Trinamool Congress (TMC) district president in East Midnapore and Kunal Ghosh, state general secretary of the party handed over the flags and welcomed them to the party.
Ghosh said it was a major gain for Trinamool before the Panchayat election.
The BJP leaders and workers under Joydeb Das joined Trinamool Congress. The other leader Batakrishna das could not join due to family bereavement. He will join later. There was great excitement in Nandigram and the people beat drums to welcome the BJP leaders and workers.
Das said it had become impossible to work under Adhikari as he is running the show with the help of a coterie comprising BJP leaders who had joined the party before 2021 Assembly election. The old timers are neglected and they are not even invited to attend party meetings.
Das said there is no organization of BJP in Nandigram. Before 2021, Adhikari told the people that the BJP would come to power and Trinamool workers had rallied behind him. However, BJP did badly in the Assembly election and the leaders and workers are thoroughly disillusioned. " We hope that more BJP leaders and workers will join Trinamool and we will go to the BJP workers and request them to come back to Trinamool," Das said.