West Bengal MLA Mihir Goswami quits TMC, joins BJP

Trinamool Congress MLA Mihir Goswami quit West Bengal's ruling party and joined the BJP on Friday, saying he looked forward to a "new political era" in the poll-bound state in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. 

He joined the saffron party at its headquarters here in the presence of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and described his decision as a "crusade against immoral and incorrect happenings" in the state, especially against "injustice" in north Bengal, a saffron stronghold. 

The MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, who was associated with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC for nearly 22 years, quit from the TMC, saying he can no longer put up with the humiliation being meted out to him. 

In a day of setbacks for the TMC, its senior leader Suvendu Adhikari earlier quit as minister from the state government.  The state is headed for the assembly polls in the first half of the next year. 

The BJP hopes to end Banerjee's 10-year-old rule in the state, while the TMC has been making a determined bid to retain power in the state where the saffron party has emerged as a powerful force and its main rival. Goswami, had arrived in Delhi with BJP MP Nisith Pramanik on Friday morning.

"I was humiliated time and again. Despite informing the party about it, it did nothing to address my woes. It seems the leadership has lost control over the party. It was not possible for me to continue with this humiliation. So I resigned from the primary membership of the party," he told reporters after landing in Delhi. 

(Photo Credit: Twitter/KailashOnline)