Two-term former Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra resigned from the BJP and joined the ruling party of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today. The Congress MLAs who joined TMC are Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman. This has come as a major setback for Congress with its MLA's from Malda and Murshidabad switching to TMC. Both the aforementioned districts have been a strong bastion for Congress and is now facing a sudden erosion in the party's vote bank. From across the state, Moinul Hassan (CPI-M), Mizoram advocate-general Biswajit Deb, Congress MLA Abu Taher Khan, Narendra Nath Tiwari, Sabina Yasmin, Samar Mukherjee have now pledged their support to TMC. The list also includes Tariq Anwar, a councillor in Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and approximately 56 public representatives from Jhargram. Sabina Yasmin, an MLA from Mothabari constituency in Malda said, "It is a bit late but we understood that to develop the district of Malda and the state, we need to hold CM Mamata Banerjee's hand because then we can develop Malda just like she did with the state. This is why we are joining TMC today. We have come here to hold Didi's hand just for the betterment of Malda and its people." Samar Mukherjee, MLA from Ratua Assembly Constituency said, "Observing the development and progress in West Bengal, I am joining in Trinamool Congress. In West Bengal, Congress has become an old party. We are joining in another option, Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee." Another Congress leader Narendra Nath Tiwari, General Secretary of Malda Congress said, "Observing the development in Bengal, done by Mamata Banerjee, we are leaving the Indian National Congress and joining in TMC. Two MLA and two councillors are joining from Malda district. I cannot comment on the behalf of any MLA. We want to join in the development of West Bengal led by Mamata Banerjee. My wife Anju Tiwari is joining in Trinamool Congress who is also a councillor. Akruzz Aman, MLA from Raghunathpur reasoning why he joined TMC said, "Nowadays the BJP is spreading communalism across the nation. We thought TMC is the only one to stop them in West Bengal. This is why we are going to join TMC today. We will tell Mamata Banerjee that we support her agitation and development. To stop BJP, we, people of Murshidabad thought of having a leader like her." ALSO READ | BJP creating Talibanis among people, Mamata says<doc-sep>Chandan Mitra joined Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress at a mega rally in Kolkata today Several new faces joined Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) today at her annual mega rally in Kolkata, but none bigger than two-time Rajya Sabha lawmaker and former BJP leader Chandan Mitra. Chandan Mitra, who quit the BJP earlier this week, is believed to be unhappy at being sidelined by the Amit Shah-Narendra Modi axis of power in the BJP. In his resignation letter to the party, he had expressed unhappiness about some of its policies. Mr Mitra is one of the bigger names to distance itself with the party. Mr Mitra began his career as a journalist at The Statesman. He is currently the editor of The Pioneer newspaper in Delhi. Along with him, four Congress legislators in West Bengal - Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman - also joined the Trinamool today at its rally to mark Martyrs' Day - to commemorate the 1993 Kolkata firing - outside Victoria House in the heart of Kolkata.<doc-sep>Former Rajya Sabha member of the BJP, Chandan Mitra, and four Congress MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly joined the ruling TMC in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Congress MLAs who joined the TMC are Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman. Mitra had resigned from the BJP a few days ago. All of them joined the TMC at its annual Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata.<doc-sep>
Chandan Mitra is the Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer. (Express Photo/Kevin D’Souza/File) Chandan Mitra is the Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer. (Express Photo/Kevin D’Souza/File) Days after tendering his resignation from the BJP, former Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra Saturday joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He was seen on the dais with TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the party’s annual Martyr’s Day rally at Esplande in Kolkata. Along with Mitra, four other Congress MLAs are among several others who joined the ruling party. The Indian Express had reported on July 17 that Mitra, Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer, had sent his resignation to BJP chief Amit Shah. Mitra had started criticising the party of late. After its defeat in the Kairana bypoll in May, he had called it a “serious setback”. Follow LIVE UPDATES on the TMC’s Martyr’s Day rally Mitra was nominated to the Rajya Sabha for a second term in 2010. His tenure ended in 2016. He was a close aide of party veteran L K Advani, but was sidelined by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah leadership. The TMC’s rally today has paralysed the city, with thousands of people flocking to Kolkata to attend the event. There are around 6,000 police personally stationed across the city to maintain law and order. Today marks the 25th anniversary of Martyrs’ Day, that commemorates the 13 Youth Congress activists killed in police firing in 1993 during the Left Front regime in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee is using this occasion to launch the party’s campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.