Guwahati, July 9 -- 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 o...