BJP, TMC in war of words over number of legislators seeking to change sides

A fresh war of words eruptedbetween the BJP and the Trinamool Congress on Thursday overtheir claims on the number of elected representatives whoare eager to switch sides in the run-up to the assembly pollsin West Bengal.

BJP national general secretary and its Bengal minderKailash Vijayvargiya claimed in Indore that 41 MLAs of the TMCare in touch with the saffron party.

Reacting to it, the TMC asserted that seven BJP MPs ofthe state will join the party soon.

However, each party refused to attach much importanceto the other's claim.

''I have a list of 41 MLAs who want to join the BJP.

If I take these legislators in the BJP's fold, the Mamatagovernment will fall.

''But we are looking at who should be admitted to theparty and who should not be. We have decided that among theselegislators, we will not take those whose image is not good,''Vijayvargiya said at his hometown.

His comments come in the backdrop of the ongoingexodus from the TMC to the BJP.

''Seven BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Bengal are in touch withus. They will join us very soon,'' TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghoshsaid in Kolkata.

In the biggest exodus from the TMC in a single day,political heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, along with 35 TMCleaders including five MLAs and an MP, switched over to theBJP in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah last month.

After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when the saffron campbagged 18 seats, nine TMC MLAs and one each from the Congressand the CPI(M) switched over to the BJP. However, none of theMLA has resigned as legislators.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)