In one of the biggest defections in West Bengal after the 2021 Assembly polls, former Union Minister and two-time BJP MP from Asansol Babul Supriyo on Saturday joined the Trinamool Congress.
Mr. Supriyo visited the office of Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee here and joined the ruling party.
After joining the TMC, Mr. Supriyo told journalists that a “great opportunity” has been extended to him by the party leadership and he has decided to take it up.
“It was with great disillusionment that I had announced that I will quit politics. A great opportunity has been extended by Didi [Mamata Banerjee] and Abhishek Banerjee and I am happy to accept that,” he said.
Speculation is rife in political circles that Mr. Supriyo may be nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool as replacement for Arpita Ghosh who had quit the Upper House on Wednesday.
Mr. Supriyo lost the 2021 Assembly poll from Tollygunj on the BJP ticket. He had to resign as Union Minister of State during the Cabinet reshuffle in July.
Since then, he had been expressing discontent towards the party leadership saying he was not given enough responsibility. “I was expecting something more after seven years as a Union Minister of State. Then differences started growing with the party.”
