On the day the bypolls dates in West Bengal were announced by the Election Commission, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Soumen Roy on Saturday joined the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The BJP MLA from Kaliaganj was earlier a member of the TMC. “BJP MLA Soumen Roy is rejoining us for the development of Bengal and North Bengal,” TMC leader Partha Chatterjee said.
“He wants to keep the culture and heritage of Bengal intact,” he added.
With Soumen Roy joining the TMC, the BJP’s tally in the state assembly has come down to 71. In the last four weeks, four BJP MLAs have switched to the TMC.
Earlier, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday declared that the bypolls to three vacant seats in the West Bengal Assembly — Samserganj, Jangipur and Bhabanipur — will be conducted on September 30. The counting will be done on October 3, the EC said.
The announcement of the bypolls clears the way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to make her way back into the state assembly. Within an hour of the Election Commission’s declaration, posters urging citizens to vote for Mamata Banerjee were put up in the Bhabanipur area of South Kolkata.
The 2021 West Bengal assembly election saw a fierce fight between TMC and BJP. The latter party did emerge as the main opposition in the state but fell short of its target achieving over 200 seats, a figure it claimed throughout the campaign.
The Mamata Banerjee party on the other side emerged even stronger, winning more seats than its previous term.