Sushmita Dev, 2 other ex-Trinamool MPs join BJP in fresh blow to Mamata Banerjee

Dealing another setback to Mamata Banerjee, three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs -- Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik -- joined the BJP on Thursday. The trio had recently quit the TMC and resigned from the Rajya Sabha amid a wave of defections that followed the party's crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.

The three leaders were inducted into the BJP in the presence of West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya at the party's Salt Lake headquarters. Bhattacharya welcomed the former parliamentarians by presenting them with BJP flags during a programme attended by senior state leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhattacharya said the experience and parliamentary expertise of the three former MPs would further reinforce the BJP in West Bengal.

"Their political experience and understanding of public issues will strengthen the organisation and help us expand our reach across the state," he said.

The Election Commission has announced that voting for the three Rajya Sabha bypolls will be held on July 24, with counting scheduled for the same evening. The former MPs joining the BJP is expected to further strengthen the saffron party's position in the state and increase its strength in the Upper House.

The vacancies arose after Ray, Dev and Baraik resigned from the Rajya Sabha on different dates in June. All three had publicly questioned the TMC leadership after the party's defeat in the Assembly elections before eventually severing ties with the organisation.

Ray and Baraik's term in the Rajya Sabha was due to continue until September 2029. Dev's term was to run until April 2030. The MPs elected in the bypolls will serve the remainder of these terms.

The BJP is likely to sweep all three Rajya Sabha seats, with the current Assembly arithmetic strongly favouring the party.

The BJP emerged as the dominant force in the 294-member Assembly after winning 208 seats, while the TMC was reduced to 80. The Congress and Aam Janata Unanyan Party (AJUP) secured two seats each, while the CPI(M) and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) won one seat apiece.

Subsequent resignations reduced the BJP's strength to 207 and the AJUP's tally to one, leaving the ruling party with a comfortable majority.

The opposition's combined numbers would have been sufficient to secure one of the three Rajya Sabha seats, allowing the BJP to win the remaining two. However, the situation changed dramatically after the Trinamool split into rival factions led by former chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.

According to current estimates, around 65 MLAs are aligned with the Ritabrata Banerjee faction, while roughly 15 legislators continue to support the Mamata Banerjee camp.

Under the electoral formula for the three-seat bypoll, a candidate requires roughly 70 first-preference votes to secure election. With 207 MLAs, the BJP is in a position to distribute its votes among three candidates and potentially secure all three seats, while neither TMC faction individually has the numbers required to elect a candidate.

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