Former Trinamul MLA Mitali Roy joins BJP ahead of Dhupguri bypoll

Two days before the byelection for the Assembly seat, on Sunday, Mitali Roy, a former Trinamul MLA from Dhupguri, switched parties.

Sukanta Majumdar, the state chairman of the BJP, presented the party's flag to Mitali in front of other politicians on Sunday morning. Mitali had been present at the public meeting of Trinamul's national general secretary on Saturday afternoon.

"I have been forced to stay inactive for the last three years. I didn't have a place in Trinamul, and some of the leaders were preventing me from engaging in political activity. Rajbanshis now have to put up with abuses from Trinamul politicians. I joined the BJP for this reason, the former MLA remarked.

Majumdar, the state BJP president, will face a tough test in the byelection on September 5. He and the party's state general secretary (organization), Amitava Chakraborty, have been camped out in the district since August 29.

Party sources said that the pair may use this election as their opportunity to demonstrate the viability of the Bengal BJP under their leadership.

Majumdar's appointment as state president in September 2021 marked the beginning of the saffron party's winless streak in Bengal's Assembly by-elections.

The BJP was beaten in each of the seven byelections conducted in the districts of Bhowanipore, Dinhata, Khardah, Santipur, Gosaba, Ballygunge, and Sagardighi, and in two instances was even pushed to third place.

Similar to this, the BJP did relatively badly in the 2022 municipal elections, managing to win just 65 seats while the Left took home 68. In contrast to the Left, which now controls the Taherpur municipality, and the Congress, which won the Jhalda municipality, the party was unable to establish a board in any of the municipalities.

"This year's rural elections saw the BJP do better than in previous elections. Nevertheless, a number of veterans, like former state leader Dilip Ghosh, have said that it fell short of expectations. The party is making every effort to hold onto the Dhupguri seat since the Lok Sabha elections are coming up, according to one observer.

Senior BJP leader Shishir Bajoria complained to the electoral commission in an effort to put pressure on Trinamul.

When Abhishek Banerjee announced the opening of a new subdivision in Dhupguri (on Saturday), he broke the model code of conduct. He has no right to declare decisions made by the Bengal government since he is just a Trinamul MP, according to Bajoria.

The abrupt decision of the state BJP leadership to induct Mitali, from the Rajbanshi group, which accounts for almost 60% of the votes in this area, has not been warmly received by local BJP officials in Dhupguri.

At the BJP headquarters, a number of leaders protested, and some of them even left the building.

"It seems that the leadership is not particularly optimistic about its chances this time, which is why they had to organize Mitali Roy's defection. Unhappy BJP leader: "We doubt that this defection would be used for anything more than show.

Senior BJP officials said that the byelection is crucial since north Bengal is regarded as the party's heartland. When BJP leader Bishnupada Roy passed away, a byelection was required.

A top official warned that a loss would expose organizational cracks and strengthen the anti-Majumdar groups inside the party.

However, Majumdar was sure that the party's nominee Tapasi Roy, the widow of a dead CRPF jawan, would win.

Mitali Roy's presence will make our celebration stronger. We know that people in this area would support the BJP," he stated.

There was rarely any serious discussion over Mitali's departure inside the Trinamul party.
She didn't get a ticket this time because of certain claims made against her. She is not a worry to us. Firhad Hakim, a state minister and Trinamul leader who campaigned in Dhupguri with actor-turned-MP Mimi Chakraborty, said that the electorate in this area had already made up their minds and will demonstrate that choice on September 5.

Leaders of the BJP and the Left also conducted significant campaigning in the district on Sunday.

Suvendu's brew

Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition, traveled to Banarhat and spoke with tea workers along with a few BJP MLAs and MPs. They also had lunch at a tea worker's home.

"It's just a gimmick again. For the tea workers, neither the BJP nor the Center have taken any action. In response to Adhikari's tea and lunch, Mahua Gope, the district head of the Trinamul party in Jalpaiguri, predicted that the tea people would respond appropriately.

More information provided by our Jalpaiguri reporter