In anticipation of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Tapas Roy, a seasoned politician and former Trinamool Congress leader, formally embraced the BJP on Wednesday afternoon, marking a significant shift in his political allegiance.
Roy, who tendered his resignation from both his Assembly position and primary party membership on March 4, was warmly welcomed into the saffron fold by state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar and prominent BJP figures such as Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, who presented him with the party flag.
Expressing his commitment to his new political home, Roy affirmed his dedication to the BJP's cause, pledging to abide by the directives of the party leadership with the same earnestness he had demonstrated throughout his political career.
Citing reasons for his departure from the Trinamool Congress, Roy criticized the party's disregard for democratic principles under its current leadership, particularly highlighting the influence of individuals he labeled as anti-social elements such as Sheikh Shahjahan, Shibu Hazra, and Uttam Sardar.
Although Roy officially resigned as a Trinamool legislator on Monday, his resignation has yet to be accepted by Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay, who identified technical errors in Roy's resignation letter and has requested a revised submission by Thursday.
In response to Roy's defection to the BJP, Kunal Ghosh, a dissident Trinamool leader who retains his position as the party's state General Secretary, lamented the loss of a senior figure like Roy and suggested that proactive measures from the ruling party's leadership could have prevented his departure.
Before parting ways with the Trinamool, Roy had voiced disappointment with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's handling of various issues, particularly her silence regarding the Enforcement Directorate's raid on his Kolkata residence in connection with a high-profile municipal recruitment case. Roy also implicated Sudip Bandopadhyay, a Trinamool Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, in orchestrating the ED operation at his residence, adding to his grievances against the party.
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