Jolt to ISF as Idris Mollah joins TMC, move may foil Naushad’s ambitions
He is a prominent leader of ISF & party’s booth prez in Krishnamati village
Within days of Indian Secular Front’s (ISF) MLA from Bhangor, Naushad Siddiqui, announcing that he may contest Lok Sabha polls from Diamond Harbour constituency against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, a leader from the former’s party joined TMC which believes more of such defections are lined up in days to come.
Naushad had recently claimed that if he is permitted by his party then he may contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Diamond Harbour Parliamentary constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
His claim had set off a political storm in the state as the constituency concerned has stayed with the ruling party since 2014 when Abhishek Banerjee won the election from there for the first time as an MP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls too Abhishek remained unvanquished.
However, the chances of ISF winning any seats in Lok Sabha may turn bleak if its party members defect to TMC.
Recently, Md. Idris Mollah, a prominent leader of ISF and the party’s booth president in Krishnamati village of Chaltaberia area joined TMC.
He took the party flag from Trinamool’s Canning East MLA Saukat Mollah and party’s leader from Bhangor, Arabul Islam. After switching camps, Idris is learnt to have trained his guns at his former party (ISF).
He has said that his sole purpose for joining TMC was to bring about development in the village which could not be done by staying in his former party.
TMC MLA Saukat has criticised Naushad, alleging the latter has failed to bring about any development in Bhangor ever since he became an MLA in 2021 state elections. Saukat claimed TMC’s strength will double in days to come.
During a recent clothes distribution programme at Falta, Diamond Harbour, Abhishek said he has come to learn that some persons have expressed a desire to contest from the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat. “Anyone is free to contest from Diamond Harbour, including leaders from Gujarat. After all this is the essence of democracy,”
he remarked.
