TMC rebel Dipendu Biswas writes apology letter to Mamata, says ‘joining BJP was bad decision’
Kolkata, May 31: With the TMC having emerged victorious with a thumping majority in the recently concluded West Bengal assembly elections, turncoats who had quit the party to join the BJP seem to be making a beeline for re-entry into the Mamata Banerjee camp, the latest being Dipendu Biswas.
Biswas, who had switched sides after his name did not feature in the TMC's candidate list for the assembly polls, has expressed his desire to return to the ruling party in the state.
Claiming that it was a mistake on his part to have joined the BJP, he apologised to the TMC supremo.
In a letter written in Bengali to the chief minister, the footballer-turned-politician on Monday said he wanted to take the TMC flag again from the party's general secretary Subrata Baksi.
Biswas was elected from Basirhat Dakshin assembly seat in the 2016 elections on a TMC ticket and quit the party after he was denied the poll ticket this year.
Speaking to reporters, he regretted his "wrong decision" to join the saffron camp and said it was "taken in a moment of depression".
"I want to join the TMC again and will help the party supremo make further progress in the state," the former Basirhat Dakshin MLA said.
Banerjee's former aide, Sonali Guha, and other turncoats Sarala Murmu and Amal Acharya, who had joined the BJP before the state assembly elections, have also expressed their desire to return to the ruling party.
Former TMC MLA Sonali Guha had on May 23 written to Banerjee, apologising to her for leaving the party.
The four-time legislator from Satgachhia in South 24 Parganas district, in a letter which she had also shared on social media, said, "The way a fish cannot stay out of the water, I will not be able to live without you, 'Didi'.
"I seek your forgiveness and if you don't forgive me, I won't be able to live. Please allow me to come back, and spend the rest of my life in your affection."
Murmu had switched camp as she was reportedly unhappy with the ticket that was given to her by the ruling party.
She was nominated from Habibpur seat in Malda, but party sources had then claimed that she was keen on contesting the election from Maldaha constituency.
Acharya, the former MLA from Itahar in Uttar Dinajpur, had also joined the BJP just two weeks before the elections after being denied a ticket by the TMC.
The Trinamool Congress romped home in Bengal, pocketing 213 of the 292 assembly seats that went to polls and secured a third straight term in office.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party's main challenger, the BJP, bagged 77 seats, while the ISF, which contested with the symbol of the Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party, and an Independent, managed one seat each.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
