Sisir Adhikari joins Bharatiya Janata Party

In another setback for Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress MP and Suvendu Adhikari’s father Sisir Adhikari on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a public rally in West Bengal’s Egra.
Chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, the senior Adhikari said that it is time to put up a formidable fight against the Mamata Banerjee camp to "save the honour of Midnapore". "Save Bengal from atrocities, we are with you, our family is with you. Jai Siya Ram, Jai Bharat," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Speculations of Sisir joining the saffron party were rife after his two sons — Suvendu and Soumendu — left the TMC and joined the BJP in December last year. Earlier, he had said that he is ready to join the BJP if his son Suvendu asks him to do so.

Sisir had also accused the TMC of "humiliating" him and his son Suvendu, who is locked in a fierce battle with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the district’s Nandigram constituency.
"They (TMC leaders) forced me to join the BJP. Let them (TMC) do what they want, and I will do what I can," he had said, as reported by news agency PTI.
The Adhikari family joining the BJP ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal is a massive setback for Mamata Banerjee who is seeking a third straight term. Notably, several TMC MLAs and MPs, including Dinesh Trivedi and Mithun Chakraborty, have joined the BJP over the last few months.

The TMC, however, has expressed confidence that Mamata Banerjee will return to the power while the BJP will be washed out from the state.
Assembly Elections in West Bengal will take place in eight phases from March 27 to April 29 while the counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Report by Chetali S M
Reported on – 21/03/2021