KOLKATA: In less than a month the BJP received a blow in the recent West Bengal assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress turncoats, who were inducted in the party ahead of the high-octane state poll, seemed to have been making a beeline to return to their old political platform.
In the past 24 hours, a former TMC MLA and a party leader, who was even among the list of TMC’s candidates but defected to the BJP, wrote to the ruling party’s supremo Mamata Banerjee and other functionaries seeking apology for their "wrong decision" of shifting sides.
TMC sources said at least 10 turncoats, including three MLAs and one MP, contacted the party and urged them to be allowed to return. The party, however, is yet to give a nod to accept the turncoats.
Sarala, who had switched camp despite her candidature was announced for Habibpur Assembly constituency in Malda, expressed her desire to return to the TMC on Sunday, a day after Mamata’s former close aide Sonali Guha made a similar request.
"I committed a mistake and want Didi (Mamata) to pardon me for that. If she accepts me, I will stay with her and work for the party diligently," said Sarala.
Similarly, Amal Acharya, former MLA of Itahar in North Dinajpur, admitted that the decision of joining the saffron camp was a wrong decision.
"I was hurt after being denied ticket in this Assembly elections. I joined the BJP. But after the people of West Bengal gave their verdict in favour of the TMC, the BJP started playing the politics of vendetta. They engaged CBI to arrest three TMC MLAs, including two ministers. In protest against this, I decided to quit the BJP and return to my old party," he said.
Sources in the TMC said most of the turncoats are now feeling that they are nowhere in Bengal’s political arena after the BJP lost the electoral battle.
"With the TMC emerging victorious with a thumping majority in the recent Assembly elections, now they are trying to regain their foothold on the soil of Bengal’s politics. The turncoats, both who were fielded but failed to win and those who were denied ticket by the BJP, found themselves completely sidelined in the saffron camp,’’ said a senior TMC leader.
BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh said those who expressed their desire to return to the TMC admitted that their decision of joining the BJP was a wrong decision.
"It was their mistake, not BJP’s. They joined our party with expectations and when they found it was not fulfilled, they are showing interest to return to their old party," he said.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said not only these three turncoats but many others, who had defected to the BJP, are showing interest to return and writing our leaders.
"The party has not taken any stance about these turncoats willing to re-join the TMC," he said.