Trinamool Congress MLA Shilbhadra Dutta has tendered his resignation from the party on Friday morning, just a day after West Bengal’s former transport minister Suvendhu Adhikari resigned from the party.
This is the third back-to-back exit in two days after Suvendu Adhikari and Jitendra Tiwari handed in their resignations to Trinamool Congress (TMC), just ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Bengal.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, MLA Shilbhadra Dutta said, “With due regards to you, I am tendering my resignation as a member of All India Trinamool Congress as well as from all other positions held by me in the party and its associate organisations with immediate effect.”
This exit has reinforced worries for the ruling TMC government in Bengal ahead of the state assembly polls which is just five months away.
Many of the rebel TMC MLAs and heads of elected bodies are believed to be preparing to resign and are expected to cross over to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of BJP senior leader Amit Shah.
On Thursday apart from Suvendu Adhikari, Jitendra Tiwari, MLA from Pandabeswar and president of the TMC’s Paschim Bardhaman district unit had also tendered his resignation from all party posts.
It is also said that Suvendu Adhikari who has played a critical role in TMC’s victory in 2016 Bengal elections, has control over local leaders in more than 50 seats in the western part of the state.
It is likely that Suvendu Adhikari will join BJP at a public meeting in Medinipur which will also be attended by Home Minster Amit Shah. He is visiting Bengal for a two-day visit and will arrive in Kolkata on late Friday night.