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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka registers 197 fresh Dengue cases, 1 dead in the last 24 hours
Bengaluru: Karnataka on Monday logged 197 fresh Dengue cases, and on death from Mysuru district in the past 24 hours.
According to the Health Department, 46 people have been admitted to the hospital and are being treated.
In total, 892 people were tested across all districts of the state. Among them, one child aged 0-1 year, 63 children aged 1-18 years, and 133 individuals above 18 years of age developed dengue fever.
On Monday, 115 people were tested under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits and 95 people tested positive for dengue. Ten people are hospitalized. In Bengaluru urban district, which is not covered by BBMP, four people were tested, and all were confirmed to have dengue, with two admitted to the hospital. In Shivamogga, 16 people were tested, all confirmed to have dengue, with nine admitted to the hospital for treatment.
ALSO READ: Present situation doesn't call for declaring dengue a medical emergency in K'taka: Dinesh Gundu Rao
In Vijayapura, 46 people were tested, and three were confirmed to have dengue. In Bagalkot, 18 people were tested, and three were confirmed to have dengue, with one being treated in the hospital. In Uttara Kannada, three people were tested, and all were confirmed to have dengue, with one being treated in the hospital. In Kalaburagi, 178 people were tested, and 15 were confirmed to have dengue, with one being treated in the hospital.
In Koppal, 17 people were tested, and one was confirmed to have dengue. In Chamarajanagar, 147 people were tested, and 33 were diagnosed with dengue, with nine undergoing treatment at the hospital. In Udupi, 68 people were tested, and one person was confirmed to have dengue and hospitalized. In Chikkamagaluru, 236 people were tested, and 17 were diagnosed with dengue, with nine people undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Since January, 55,712 people have been tested in the state, and dengue has been confirmed in 7,362 people. Currently, 303 people are undergoing treatment in the hospital. Seven people have succumbed to dengue disease.
