The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national president Amit Shah is likely to skip a proposed meeting with six Opposition MLAs who had earlier resigned from the Trinamool Congress after pledging support to the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind. The legislators led by Sudip Roy Barman have not yet received an invitation from the BJP’s Central leadership for ‘last minute discussions’ on their joining the saffron party.
Former TMC president Ashish Kumar Saha earlier said they were expecting an appointment with Mr. Shah this week in wake of the assurance made by key party leaders who persuaded them to join the BJP to boost the latter’s resolve to oust the Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI(M)] from power in the Assembly elections due in February 2018.
There was confusion after state BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb announced that the joining of MLAs would occur in first week of August at Agartala in presence of party’s national General Secretary Ram Madhav. “Discussions to pave their coming to BJP fold already completed and only joining part has to take place now”, he told newsmen.
Mr. Deb was among state BJP leaders who reportedly ‘opposed’ inclusion of some of the MLAs in party, but had to succumb to wishes of Ram Madhav and Assam stalwart Himanta Biswa Sharma, who happens to be chairman of NDA affiliate, Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA). Mr Sharma had declared in Agartala that no important opposition figure should remain out of BJP to ensure ouster of CPI(M) in 2018 assembly poll.
