Kolkata, Aug. 30 -- The Trinamool Congress suffered another setback in Basirhat as former Basirhat South MLA Saptarshi Banerjee joined the Congress along with more than 300 party workers on Saturday. Banerjee, who had won the seat for the TMC in 2021, was denied a ticket in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Speaking about his decision to leave the TMC, Banerjee said the party's credibility had "reached rock bottom" among people. He claimed that when he identified himself as a TMC leader, people increasingly raised questions about the party.
"On the other hand, the National Congress under Rahul Gandhi is the only force fighting the BJP across the country. I have joined this party to remain with the people," Banerjee said.
Banerjee formally joined the Congress at the party's state headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan, in Kolkata. AICC observers Amba Prasad and Prakash Joshi, state Congress president Subhankar Sarkar and state general secretary Partha Bhowmick were present at the joining programme.
Sarkar claimed that thousands of workers from different political parties were joining the Congress across Bengal every day.
He further claimed that several elected representatives and prominent leaders had already begun joining the party, and hinted that more former ministers and MLAs could follow in the coming days.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.