Arjun Singh, the Lok Sabha member from Barrackpore in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, has officially switched parties by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move comes after Singh was denied a ticket from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the upcoming general elections.
Addressing reporters, Singh criticized the TMC, alleging that the party relied on "police and goons" to maintain power. He expressed concerns about the safety of party workers, citing incidents of violence, particularly in areas like Sandeshkhali.
"I became an MP in 2019 (from BJP) and in 2021...after post-poll violence, I had to keep my distance from the BJP to save the party workers. They were being murdered...I saw that the TMC government wants to just stay in power with the help of Police and goons. We saw its most recent example in Sandeshkhali. There is not just one Sandeskhali, people in the border areas of Bengal are living like those in Sandeshkhali..." Singh said.
Accompanying Singh in his move to the BJP was TMC's Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari, brother of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Arjun Singh began his political career with the Congress, winning the Bhatpara Municipality Election as a councillor before joining the TMC in 2001. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he switched to the BJP and won the Barrackpore seat. However, following the BJP's defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections, Singh returned to the TMC.
The TMC recently announced its candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal during a massive event in Kolkata on March 10. Singh's move to the BJP adds a new dimension to the political landscape as parties gear up for the upcoming elections.