KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Thursday claimed that three newly elected BJP MPs from Bengal were in touch with the party. BJP won 12 seats in the state.
A TMC senior said, "Three newly elected BJP MPs from Bengal are in touch with us. We have not made a decision on whether or not they will join us." This announcement came as TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited Delhi for the INDIA bloc deliberations.
The claim followed a sharp attack by BJP's Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan on his party's brass and praise for Banerjee. However, Khan dismissed rumours, stating, "Nobody has spoken to me, nor have I spoken to anyone." A close aide of Khan alleged that "political courtesies" were being misinterpreted. Khan won his seat by one of the smallest margins in Bengal, defeating his ex-wife Sujata Mondal by just 5,567 votes.
According to TMC, BJP won at least six seats due to a "Congress-CPM alliance", which polled more votes there than BJP's victory margin over TMC. These were Raiganj, Balurghat, Malda (North), Tamluk, Purulia, and Bishnupur.