KOLKATA: Hours after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's "trusted" lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the state cabinet, violence erupted in the ruling party leader’s home district of East Midnapore where BJP supporters ransacked six Tparty offices of TMC and took control of them.
The incident took place at a time when there are high speculations that Adhikari might join the BJP ahead of the crucial 2021 Assembly elections. Political observers said if there is a change in Adhikari's political alignment, it is likely to cause a blow to the ruling party as the MLA from Nandigram Assembly constituency has a significant number of followers in more than 25 assembly seats.
"Those who carried out the attack on our party office were carrying BJP’s flags. They are followers of Adhikari. Anticipating their leader will join the saffron camp, they also shifted their allegiance to the BJP before Adhikari officially announces changes in his political allegiance," said a TMC leader.
Out of 16 Assembly constituencies in East Nandigram district, TMC bagged 14 in 2016 elections. Adhikari had played a key role in the Nandigram movement against the state government’s land acquisition.
"Adhikari and his followers can be a deciding factor in all the Assembly constituencies in the district. Besides, he has a strong support base in at least eight Assembly seats in adjoining West Midnapore district where he was assigned to work as the party’s observer. Other than this, the former minister has strong penetration in four Vidhansabha seats in Malda and Murshidabad districts," said the TMC leader.
However, it is not clear whether Adhikari will join the BJP or he will float a new political organisation and participate in the upcoming state election. After Adhikari resigned from Mamata’s cabinet on Friday, BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh said his party would welcome the TMC MLA if he joined the saffron camp.
The incident of ransacking took place in two blocks in the Khejuri Assembly constituency which known as one of Adhikari’s turf. "The bike-borne attackers ransacked our party offices and set them ablaze. They hoisted the flags of their party atop the party offices. The local administration remained mute spectators," said a TMC leader in Khejuri.
TMC supporters put up roadblocks in the area in protest against the attack on their party offices. BJP, however, said no party worker was involved in the incident. "It was a fall out of the ruling party’s factional feud," said BJP leader from Contai Tapas Kumar Dalui.