In what may turn out to be an embarrassment for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rajib Banerjee, a former West Bengal minister, is in the new national executive committee announced on Thursday even as there is speculation of his return to the Trinamool Congress.
Party sources said no input was sought from the state BJP unit before the decision was taken to include Rajib Banerjee's name in the committee announced on Thursday and it came as a surprise to many in the party.
"We understand that Banerjee is in talks with TMC and an announcement was expected during Pujo. Questions should be asked as to who suggested his name in this prestigious committee," said a BJP senior leader from Bengal.
Some BJP leaders in the state are upset about Banerjee's inclusion in the list.
Rajib Banerjee contested the West Bengal polls as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Domjur constituency and lost to the TMC candidate.
Rajib Banerjee had met TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh in June amid speculation of his return to the ruling party in the state.
Some leaders who had joined the BJP from Trinamool Congress have returned to it. Sabyasachi Dutta, a two-time mayor of Bidhannagar municipality, rejoined TMC on Thursday. He had joined BJP in 2019. Recently former union minister Babul Supriyo left BJP and joined TMC.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor