Cooch Behar: Four BJP members join Trinamool

Cooch Behar: Trinamool Congress (TMC) is set to gain the majority in another village Panchayat in the district. Three BJP Panchayat members — Namita Das, Ram Prasad Barman and Ajit Barman — and Shasthi Pal, husband of Panchayat member Deepali Pal as representative of the Panchayat member, left the BJP and joined the Trinamool at the Andran Phulbari-I village Panchayat in Cooch Behar district on Saturday night. District Trinamool Congress president Abhijit De Bhowmick welcomed them with the party flag.

Abhijit De Bhowmick said: “Three Panchayat members and another representing Deepali Pal, her husband Shasthi Pal, have joined the Trinamool. In total, four Panchayat members joined. A few more are expected to join soon.”

In the Panchayat elections, the Andran Phulbari-I village Panchayat had won 10 seats by the BJP and 1 by the Trinamool Congress out of a total of 12 seats, giving the BJP control of the Gram Panchayat. However, one Panchayat member joined the Trinamool a few days ago after the Lok Sabha election results were announced. District Trinamool Congress President Abhijit De Bhowmick claimed that the Trinamool Congress now has a majority in this Gram Panchayat and will form the Trinamool chief in the coming days.