In a jolt to the West Bengal BJP ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, ex Union minister, and Adivasi face of the party in North Bengal, John Barla, joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata on Thursday.
His induction comes just four days ahead of TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s scheduled visit to North Bengal.
Barla became the MP from Alipurduar in 2019 after defeating the then-TMC MP Dasharath Tirkey by over 2.5 lakh votes. He later served as Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs. However, the BJP did not nominate him for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, replacing him with Madarihat MLA Manoj Tigga. Following this, Barla rebelled and began contacting the TMC.
After joining the TMC, Barla criticised Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, saying, “I wanted to do a lot of work. I wanted to build a hospital in Alipurduar, but Suvendu Adhikari stopped me. I am grateful that Mamata Banerjee gave me the opportunity to work for North Bengal.”
Speculations were rife over Barla’s defection after he was spotted at a government distribution programme hosted by Banerjee in Alipurduar in January this year. At the time, he had said, “The Chief Minister of the state has called me, so I came to this programme. If she blesses me, I will definitely work with her.”
A senior TMC leader from North Bengal said, “Barla was in contact with our party after the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He helped us in the Madarihat bypoll, where we won the seat. However, it was the party leadership’s decision on when he would officially join.”
Barla joined the TMC on Thursday in the presence of TMC state president Subrata Bakshi and state Power Minister Aroop Biswas. Last Sunday, some BJP leaders visited Barla’s residence and spoke to him, but he remained firm in his decision to switch parties.
Following his induction, Subrata Bakshi said, “Mamata Banerjee will include him in our state committee, and he will also be given organisational responsibility for the tea gardens in North Bengal. He will strengthen our party’s base in the tea belt.”