The BJP on Thursday inducted Arjun Singh from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, Tom Vadakkan, a former Congress spokesman who hails from Kerala, and Damodar Rout, a former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Minister from Odisha, into the party signalling that it will not hesitate to poach from rivals to bolster its electoral prospects in States where it still lacks big-name local candidates.

If the party’s local unit does not have strong candidates in States where it has a minimum presence such as West Bengal and Kerala or wants to make headway as in Odisha, it will poach at will from others.

Mr. Singh, whose induction came with its fair share of dramatic moments that included a flight back to Kolkata from Delhi on Tuesday when he was supposed to join, is a big catch for the BJP. A four-time MLA from Bhatpara, he wields considerable influence among the jute mills of North 24 Parganas district.

An aspirant for the Barackpore Lok Sabha seat, Mr. Singh decided to leave the Trinamool once the regional party renominated Dinesh Trivedi, MP.

“I am Arjuna, like in the Mahabharata, and Mukulda [BJP leader Mukul Roy who left the Trinamool some time ago and has been instrumental in drawing in others from his former party] is like Krishna,” Mr. Singh said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had tried to retain Mr. Singh, appeared unperturbed by his exit. “There are some who are keen to become candidates. I want to set them free, they can go,” she said.

Coastal Odisha

Mr. Rout, a former Odisha Agriculture Minister who had been expelled by the BJD and had been negotiating with the Congress as well, appears to have opted for the BJP assuming better prospects. Mr. Rout is considered a strong leader in coastal Odisha, a weak spot for the BJP which derives its strength from western Odisha.

The day’s other induction was more surprising than that of Mr. Singh. Mr. Vadakkan, once a close aide to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and till recently a trenchant social media critic of the BJP, said he took the decision to leave the Congress because he was upset at the way the party had reacted in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident.

“I left the Congress party because when Pakistani terrorists attacked our land, my party’s reaction to it was sad, and hurt me deeply,” he said. He said there was a “use and throw” policy in the Congress.

BJP sources said that Mr. Vadakkan is keen on contesting the Lok Sabha election from Thrissur, Ernakulam or Idukki in Kerala.

(With inputs from Shiv Sahay Singh)