In a major setback to the Congress in West Bengal, its only MLA in the State Assembly, Bayron Biswas, on May 29 joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Mr. Biswas was elected less than three months ago in the bypolls for the Sagardighi Assembly seat.
The victory of the Left supported Congress candidate on March 2 was seen as a success for the third political force in West Bengal. Neither the Left parties nor the Congress had won a single seat in the 2021 Assembly polls.
The victory of Mr. Biswas with a margin of 22,986 votes in a constituency with 75% minority population was also seen as a section of minority votes shifting away from the West Bengal ruling party.
The development on Monday, however, has come as a shock for the West Bengal Congress leadership.
Mr. Biswas joined the Trinamool Congress at Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur in presence of ruling party’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Speaking to media persons with Mr. Banerjee by his side, the MLA said that Congress party had no role in his victory at Sagardighi bypolls. The MLA told media persons that he has realized it was extremely difficult to continue politics if the person does not represent the ruling party.
Mr. Banerjee said that the MLA had decided to join Trinamool Congress soon after winning Assembly by-polls. “He had realized that State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is not serious about taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” the Trinamool leader said.
“In West Bengal, the fight is between Trinamool Congress and BJP. When Adhir Chowdhury says he will continue to oppose Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, who is he supporting?,” Mr. Banerjee said, targeting the State Congress president.
Congress will look for more honest candidates: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Mr. Chowdhury alleged that Trinamool has overturned the mandate of the people who had elected Bayron Biswas on a Congress ticket.
“In future we will try to have more honest candidates,” the Congress leader said.
The defeat at Sagardighi had come as a major debacle to Trinamool Congress leadership. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had described the loss at Sagardighi as the result of an “immoral alliance” between the Left, Congress and the BJP.
The development assumes political significance as the Left parties and Congress were trying to replicate the Sagardighi model across the State in upcoming panchayat polls.
The defection of MLAs from Opposition parties to Trinamool is not new in West Bengal. Between 2011 to 2021, about 30 MLAs from Congress and Left parties had defected to Trinamool. Since the 2021 Assembly polls, more than six MLAs of the BJP from West Bengal have joined the Trinamool Congress. None of the MLAs who have switched political affiliation had resigned from the Assembly and faced bypolls.
On the question whether Bayron Biswas will resign and seek a fresh mandate of the people, Mr. Banerjee said that since he is only MLA, the anti-defection laws do not apply. He added that the Speaker of West Bengal Assembly will decide on the issue.
