Former Trinamool Congress general secretary Shankudeb Panda to join BJP today: Sources

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Shankudeb Panda is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, according to the sources. Many believe that the entry of Panda in BJP will give a major boost to the later in West Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier this month, Former IPS officer from West Bengal, Bharati Ghosh, joined the BJP in Delhi. Soon after joining the party, Ghosh termed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 'dharna' following a political move to stop the CBI investigation into the ponzi scheme scams. Ghosh, once a favourite of Banerjee, reportedly fell from grace and sought voluntary retirement after she was transferred as Commandant of the West Bengal Armed Police's 3rd Battalion. Her application was accepted in January 2018.

Democracy has become 'Namocracy' and the situation in the country is worse than emergency, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said earlier, and asserted opposition parties will fight unitedly at the national level to oust the NDA from power.

Addressing a mega rally organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the Jantar Mantar, the Trinamool Congress chief also attacked the Centre over the CBI's failed bid to question Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar at his home, saying she had not seen a government that "stooped so low".

"It is Prime Minister's last day as elected leader in Parliament today," she said after the Lok Sabha adjourned sine die. "Everyone is afraid of Gabbar Singh. There are two of them -- (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (BJP chief Amit) Shah," she said.

A host of opposition leaders including TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, National Conference's Farooq Abdullah, Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar and CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury spoke during the rally.

"Opposition parties will fight unitedly at the national level," Banerjee asserted.