Chandan Mitra, 4 Bengal Congress lawmakers join Trinamool
Kolkata, July 21 : Former BJP leader and two-time Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra and four Congress lawmakers in West Bengal on Saturday joined Trinamool Congress at its Martyrs' Day rally here.
Mitra, Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer newspaper, quit the Bharatiya Janata Party earlier this week.
Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee announced Mitra's switch to the Trinamool from the dais of the hugely attended rally in central Kolkata.
Mitra was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha in August 2003. He was elected for another term in the Upper House as a BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh in June 2010.
He unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket from Hooghly constituency in West Bengal.
There were reports of Mitra being sidelined in the BJP over the past few years after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah took control of the party.
Besides Mitra, four state Congress legislators - Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman -- joined the Trinamool. They are among a growing band of Congressmen who have crossed over to the Trinamool Congress but abide by the parent party's whip in the state assembly to avoid attacting the anti-defection law.
Former CPI-M MP Moinul Hassan, who was recently expelled after he publicly dissociated from it, also joined the Trinamool at the rally.
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Karnataka Speaker U T Khader condoles death of Shamanur Shivashankarappa
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader on Monday condoled the death of veteran politician Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
The 94-year-old Davangere South MLA died in a private hospital on Sunday after a prolonged illness. His last rites will be performed in Davangere on Monday.
Mourning his demise, Khader said it is a painful day for the House as the sitting member of the state Assembly and former minister has died.
"His contribution to society is vast, not only politically but also religiously, socially and culturally," Khader told reporters here.
In his 94 years Shivashankarappa demonstrated how to take everyone along and used to solve many problems with a smile and patience.
The Speaker said the Assembly members will pay condolences to the departed soul, after which the session will be adjourned for Tuesday.
To a question whether he was looking to increase business hours this time, Khader said there is a business advisory committee that will look into it.
