Barely 12 days before the forthcoming Assembly elections, the Trinamul Congress has suffered a significant setback, with a senior leader defecting to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah today.
Minu Bauri, president of the Trinamul Mahila Congress in the district, joined the BJP after being denied a ticket from the Para Assembly constituency. The TMC has instead fielded Manik Bauri from the seat.
At an election rally organised by the BJP in Baghmundi, she formally joined the party, accepting its flag from Amit Shah.
Para was once a stronghold of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). Minu Bauri had earlier joined the TMC from the CPI-M and later served as a coordinator for the party during the 2021 Assembly elections.
This year, after being denied a ticket, she had distanced herself from campaigning for the party candidate. Political observers believe that Purulia has emerged as a BJP stronghold since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with the TMC suffering defeats in 2019, 2021 and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Her defection is expected to further strengthen the BJP’s prospects in the Para constituency.
The TMC has not yet issued any official statement on Minu Bauri’s joining the BJP in Baghmundi.
Shankar Mahato, BJP’s organisational district president, said that more leaders would leave the TMC ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, alleging that the party had become corrupt and ideologically weak.
The Para Assembly segment has a significant population of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe voters. Minu Bauri had earlier won the 2008 panchayat elections on a CPI-M ticket. Considered a popular woman leader in the region, her induction is likely to boost the BJP’s morale just days before the Assembly polls scheduled for 23 April.