Sources said other TMC members in the Zilla Parishad were unhappy after Ghosh, who is not a resident of the district, was made the president.About 14 Trinamool Congress members from South Dinajpur, including former Zilla Parishad president Biplab Mitra, have reportedly gone to Delhi and likely to join the BJP soon.
Sources said the decision to jump ship was taken after TMC leadership removed Mitra and made former TMC MP Arpita Ghosh the Parishad president following the party’s poor performance in South Dinajpur in Lok Sabha polls. Last month, the party lost the Balurghat seat to BJP. Irked by the decision, Mitra is reported to have decided to join the BJP.
Sources said other TMC members in the Zilla Parishad were unhappy after Ghosh, who is not a resident of the district, was made the president. Though Mitra was not available for comments, Ghosh said despite the possibility of defection, the party will retain the Zilla Parishad.
“I can only say that the Zilla Parishad belonged to TMC and will remain so. We will prove it, as we don’t believe in making statements, but doing actual work. I don’t want to talk about who is going where and how many members are leaving,” she said.
