Trinamool members of South Dinajpur civic body switch sides

The BJP on Monday took control of the South Dinajpur Zilla Parishad in West Bengal from the Trinamool, its first in West Bengal, after a majority of the ruling party members, besides an MLA, switched sides.

In a jolt to the Trinamool in the district, veteran leader Biplab Mitra also joined the BJP.

Mr. Mitra, considered one of the architects of the Trinamool in the district in north Bengal, was shunted out as the party’s district president after the Lok Sabha polls.

Besides Mr. Mitra and 10 of the 18 members of the South Dinajpur Zilla Parishad, Trinamool MLA Wilson Champramary joined the BJP in Delhi.

Mr. Champramary, who represents the Kalchini constituency in Alipurduar district, joined the BJP in the presence of senior leaders, including Mukul Roy, West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh and national general secretary Kailash Vijarvargiya, who is in charge of its State affairs.

Mr. Champamary is the fifth Trinamool MLA to join the BJP recently. One legislator each of the CPI(M) and the Congress also switched over to the BJP.

Mr. Roy described the joining as an “earthquake”, saying almost all members of the zilla parishad, including its chairperson Lipika Roy, were in the BJP now.