After Babul Supriyo, Speculations Rife About Another Bengal BJP MP Joining TMC Soon

Speculations are rife after BJP Lok Sabha MP and former union minister Babul Supriyo joined Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday that another Lok Sabha MP of the BJP from Bengal is likely to switch camp in a few days.

"Talks with that MP is at the final stage. We are hopeful about the MP joining us in a few days, " said a TMC Rajya Sabha MP who did not want to be named.

The TMC MP indicated that the BJP MP in question is from the same region - southwestern Bengal - from where Supriyo got elected. Asansol Lok Sabha seat, which Supriyo has been representing since 2014, is in Paschim Bardhaman district of southwestern Bengal.

The BJP's Bengal unit leaders sounded mostly clueless about this possibility but they told Outlook, on condition of anonymity, that they have identified a few Lok Sabha MPs who have not been much active of late and could be vulnerable to the TMC's poaching efforts.

As of now, four BJP MLAs, Mukul Roy, Biswajit Das, Tanmay Ghosh and Soumen Roy have joined the TMC since Mamata Banerjee returned to power for the third term.

Supriyo is the first Lok Sabha MP to change camp in this new season of turncoats witnessing a reversal of the tide. Between January 2019 and the 2021 Assembly elections, it was mostly TMC MLAs and MPs who were joining the BJP.

Now, while it remains to be seen if there is any truth in the speculations about 'another BJP MP' but the ruling party at the Centre certainly seems to be facing a tough challenge in keeping its flock together in West Bengal