Senior Trinamool Congress leader and MP Arjun Singh announced on Thursday that he had quit the party and will return to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Arjun Singh said he would head to New Delhi on Thursday night to join the BJP. He also asserted that “at least one top TMC leader” would be joining the saffron party along with him.
The 61-year-old leader emphasised that his decision was aimed at preventing Barrackpore, his constituency, “from becoming another Sandeshkali”.
“My fight is for Sandeshkali. When the leader of the house, the Chief Minister, supports Sheikh Shahjahan, you know you can’t support them. My fight is to not let Barrackpore become Sandeshkali,” Singh told India Today TV.
He further alleged that Sheikh Shajahan owned extensive land and other properties in Naihati under the active patronage of Trinamool minister Partha Bhowmik.
The Trinamool Congress omitted sitting MP Arjun Singh from its candidate list for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
When asked whether his decision was due to the denial of the ticket, he responded, “I’m not going to BJP for a ticket; I will campaign for anyone the BJP nominates to contest from Barrackpore, be it me, my son, or anyone else”.
After Trinamool released its candidate list on March 10, Singh openly expressed dissent, stating that the party had humiliated him.
Singh, a former TMC leader, had resigned from his party exactly five years ago and joined the BJP on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Following his victory from Barrackpore on a BJP ticket, Singh switched back to the TMC in May 2022 but retained his MP status.