2 Trinamool MLAs, 1 from Left; over 50 councillors join BJP in Delhi

Two Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs and one CPM lawmaker and more than 50 councillors from West Bengal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. "Like the elections were held in seven phases in West Bengal, joinings in the BJP will also happen in seven phases. Today was just the first phase," Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP National General Secretary, said at a press conference where the lawmakers joined the BJP. 

Suspended TMC MLA Subhrangshu Roy was among MLAs who joined the BJP. On May 24, the Trinamool Congress suspended Roy for six years for anti-party comments. The other MLAs are Tusharkanti Bhattacharjee from the TMC and Devendra Roy from the CPM. Subhrangshu, the TMC legislator from Bijpur, is the son of BJP leader Mukul Roy.

Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP National General Secretary on 3 MLAs and more than 50 Councillors from WB joining BJP: Like the elections were held in seven phases in West Bengal, joinings in BJP will also happen in seven phases. Today was just the first phase. pic.twitter.com/YbYEYK2KwU

— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2019

"Now, I will breath freely. Many in the TMC feel suffocated," he has earlier said, claiming that several others from the party will "follow his footsteps".

"My father has advised me to be careful, as I may be implicated in a false criminal case, or may be attacked... I will join the BJP within two to three days," Subhrangshu said. Subhrangshu also said he did not get due respect in the TMC.

Mukul Roy, once considered to be the second-in-command of the Trinamool Congress, joined the BJP in November 2017 after a fallout with party supremo Mamata Banerjee. He is being credited for the stellar show of the BJP in Bengal in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

(With PTI inputs)