Former TMC MLA and minister of state for North Bengal Development Department, Bachhu Hansda, has written to the South Dinajpur district president of the Trinamul Congress, Gowtam Das, expressing his desire to return to the party fold. Mr Das has forwarded the letter to the TMC state committee, and is waiting for a response, it is learnt.

Mr Hansda, who was elected the MLA from Tapan constituency in the district for two consecutive terms earlier, had switched sides to the BJP before this year’s Assembly elections. The BJP in the district has said that Mr Hansda’s decision to go back to the TMC would be a “no profit no loss game” for the saffron brigade.

On the other hand, booth level workers and some district TMC leaders have strongly opposed to Mr Hansda now returning to the party. Mr Hansda was elected the MLA in Tapan for the first time in 2011, and he had worked in different government and party posts like the District Primary School Council as its chairman, ICDS as the chairman, and as the district youth president of the party, while the last post he held was the minister of state for NBDD.

The TMC did not give him the ticket to contest this year’s elections, as several allegations have been leveled against him. Soon after the announcement of the election candidates by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, two leaders of South Dinajpur, Subhashish Paul of Harirampur and Mr Hansda, had joined the BJP on 10 March in Kolkata.

However, Mr Hansda had wished to get back to the TMC immediately after his switching sides, but nothing happened because of the election process that had started. Before Mr Hansda’s joining the BJP, district TMC leaders, including Arpita Ghosh, had tried to stop him from doing so, but Mr Hansda resigned from the ministry and held the BJP flag.

“I have requested my district leaders to let me rejoin the party and have sent a request letter to them. I have worked for the TMC in the last elections even after joining the BJP. I don’t know when they will take a decision. But I can say I was a TMC worker and will remain the same in the future. If the district leaders ask me to start work, I will do that immediately,” Mr Hansda said.

According to the TMC district president, Mr Das, he received Mr Hansda’s “application” a few days ago. “As he was a minister and important leader of the TMC, we cannot take a decision on him. I have sent the application to the state leaders and they will take a call. In the district level, we have nothing to do with it,” Mr Das said.

The General secretary of the BJP, Bapi Sarkar, said, “Bachhu Hansda never worked for the BJP. He joined the BJP for an election ticket in Tapan, but the state leaders did not give him one. Now, if he has decided to go back, he may go back. His departure will not have an impact on our party organisation.”