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Politics
Suvendu Adhikari Claims 64 TMC MLAs Ready to Join BJP in West Bengal
✍️ News18
🗓 23 Oct 2026, 06:32 AM
👁 19
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that 64 Trinamool Congress legislators are prepared to shift allegiance to the BJP ahead of upcoming elections, though the claim remains unverified.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party figure Suvendu Adhikari, a former Trinamool Congress minister, asserted on a televised interview that sixty-four TMC legislators have expressed willingness to switch to the BJP. The statement comes as both parties gear up for the next state assembly polls in West Bengal, where the TMC currently holds a dominant position.
Adhikari did not provide a list of the alleged legislators nor any documentary proof. Party sources from both sides declined to comment on the specifics, describing the claim as "political rhetoric" pending verification.
Political analysts note that defections have been a feature of West Bengal's volatile electoral landscape, but a shift of this magnitude would require formal resignations and a subsequent floor test in the state assembly. The BJP has welcomed the allegation, calling it evidence of growing discontent within the TMC ranks, while the Trinamool Congress has dismissed it as baseless.
The Election Commission has not received any official applications for party-switching from the mentioned legislators, and the matter is expected to surface in the run‑up to the election schedule announced for early 2026.
Adhikari did not provide a list of the alleged legislators nor any documentary proof. Party sources from both sides declined to comment on the specifics, describing the claim as "political rhetoric" pending verification.
Political analysts note that defections have been a feature of West Bengal's volatile electoral landscape, but a shift of this magnitude would require formal resignations and a subsequent floor test in the state assembly. The BJP has welcomed the allegation, calling it evidence of growing discontent within the TMC ranks, while the Trinamool Congress has dismissed it as baseless.
The Election Commission has not received any official applications for party-switching from the mentioned legislators, and the matter is expected to surface in the run‑up to the election schedule announced for early 2026.