Guwahati: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata on Thursday, weeks after resigning from the TMC amid an internal rebellion that has rattled the party.
The three leaders were inducted into the BJP at the party’s Salt Lake office in the presence of West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and other senior leaders.
Welcoming them into the party, Bhattacharya said their political experience would strengthen the BJP in West Bengal.
Their induction comes as the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faces growing internal dissent following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The crisis escalated after a group of MLAs, led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, broke away from the party, with several MPs also backing the rebel camp. The dissident MPs have sought separate seating arrangements in Parliament and have held meetings with senior BJP leaders, fuelling speculation of further defections.
Reacting to the development, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the party had given Sukhendu Sekhar Ray political opportunities that he had not received before joining the TMC.
“Everyone knows that Sukhendu Sekhar, who is a senior leader, prior to 2011, he never became MP or MLA. Respecting him, Mamata Banerjee sent him to Rajya Sabha. Today he joined BJP. They did not leave when Mamata Banerjee was the CM, public is seeing everything,” Ghosh said.
The three leaders had resigned from the TMC and their Rajya Sabha memberships last month.
After leaving the party, Sushmita Dev said her decision was driven by both political and personal reasons.
“It is a long story why I left TMC. I don’t want to be in a situation where I am in two boats at the same time. I will not comment on Mamata Didi,” she said.
“I had political and personal reasons to do this. In an independent country, a politician can take any decision in their political life. I express gratitude towards the people of Bengal, but I have to work in Assam,” she added.
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, one of the first senior leaders to resign, attributed the party’s electoral setback to what he described as years of poor governance and said he had resigned from both the party and the Rajya Sabha “in principle”.
Prakash Chik Baraik also stepped down from the Rajya Sabha shortly after Dev and Ray, stating in his resignation letter that he was relinquishing his membership with immediate effect.
The political turmoil has intensified in recent weeks, with reports suggesting that around 20 Lok Sabha MPs have aligned with the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The rebel camp claims to represent the “real TMC” while ruling out any merger with the Congress.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the dissident leaders of betraying the party.
“People shouldn’t forgive TMC leaders who are traitors, sided with BJP; don’t try to sail on two boats, there’s still time to look back and address barbarity,” she said in a video message.