NEW DELHI: Buoyed by major gains in Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, the BJP is aiming for more than two-third majority in the state assembly elections due in 2021 and is even prepared for early polls in the state, its general secretary and West Bengal in charge Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Tuesday.

The BJP's muscle-flexing comes in the backdrop of three West Bengal MLAs, including BJP leader Mukul Roy's son Subhrangshu Roy, and over 50 municipal councillors, most of them from the Trinamool Congress , joining the saffron party in a mass exodus following the Lok Sabha election.

Trinamool Congress-turned-BJP leader Mukul Roy's son Subhrangshu Roy, a two-term MLA from Bijpur constituency, Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya from Bishnupur (Trinamool) joined the BJP at the party headquarters in the national capital today. CPM MLA Debendra Roy has also defected to the saffron camp.

The dramatic development, just five days after the BJP breached the Trinamool fortress, led to the saffron outfit taking control of three municipalities in the state from the ruling party.

The TMC , meanwhile, played down the defections as a "minor crisis" and likened its leaders joining the BJP to "rats abandoning a ship sensing danger".

"When a ship is rocked in the face of a storm, the rats jump into the sea without knowing their fate. The same is happening now. We are sure that those who are joining (BJP) are being forced to do so," Bengal urban development minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said.

But despite her party putting up a brave face, the defections will likely come as a big blow to Mamata Banerjee in the wake of TMC's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

On the other hand, the BJP, which made significant inroads in the state in the general election, is already eyeing the 2021 state assembly polls where it sees itself winning 221 of the 294 seats.

"We were confident of party's splendid performance in the Lok Sabha polls due to the BJP's expansion in the state, rise in its organisational strength and faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ," Vijayvargiya told PTI.

The party, which has been crediting success of its election management to its cadres especially those working as booth agents, has employed similar strategy to make inroads in West Bengal.

"The BJP will definitely form government in the state in 2021 polls and is aiming for 221 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly. Youth and development oriented people have moved away from both Mamata and the Left," Vijayvargiya said.

He also took a swipe at the Trinamool Congress saying "it is just the first phase", and more leaders will come into the BJP's fold "in seven phases just as the elections were held in seven phases".

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal, which was a multi-fold increase from its tally of only two seats in 2014 elections. The party's vote share also zoomed to 40.25 per cent in 2019 from 16.8 per cent in 2014. It has only three MLAs in the 294-member assembly.



In Video: Big blow to Mamata! 2 TMC MLAs, over 50 councillors join BJP after West Bengal poll debacle