Trinamool Congress lawmaker Arjun Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday.
Once a staunch critic of BJP leader Mukul Roy, Arjun Singh joined the BJP in Delhi in his presence. That he could join the BJP if not fielded by Trinamool in the Barrackpore seat had emerged as the fodder of political speculation earlier.
On Tuesday, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had stated after announcing the list of Trinamool candidates for Lok Sabha elections, that if anyone was unhappy for not being offered a ticket was welcome to join any other party.
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Many had thought that Mamata Banerjee had targeted her words at Arjun Singh without naming him. According to sources, Singh, the lawmaker from Bhatpara since 2001, had expressed interest in contesting from a Lok Sabha seat this time around.
However, with the announcement of the final list of Trinamool Congress candidates for the upcoming polls, it was clear that the party had faith in Dinesh Trivedi, as his name was announced as the Barrackpore candidate.
This may have prompted Arjun Singh’s quick decision to visit to Delhi on Wednesday night to strategise on his future course of action. He visited the BJP head office on Thursday to join the party and the BJP is expected to field him from Barrakpur, as per sources.
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