West Bengal political heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari has officially joined the BJP at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in Midnapore on Saturday. Shah handed over the saffron flag to Adhikari as the former commenced his mega rally in Midnapore. "The economic condition of West Bengal is in a very bad state. If the state has to be salvaged, its reins need to be handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Adhikari after joining the party.
Adhikari, a former minister in the cabinet of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had resigned from the primary membership of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday.
He had resigned as an MLA a day before and ever since, speculations were rife that he may join the BJP on Saturday in the presence of Shah.
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Ten other MLAs, an MP and a former MP have also followed Adhikari to join the BJP. The MLAs include Tapasi Mondal, Ashoke Dinda, Sudip Mukherjee, Saikat Panja, Shilbhadra Dutta, Dipali Biswas, Sukra Munda, Shyamapda Mukherjee, Biswajit Kundu and Banasri Maity.
TMC MP from Purba Burdwan, Sunil Mondal, and former MP Dasarath Tirkey have also joined the saffron party on Saturday.
Shah, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal that will see assembly elections in six months, visited the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda in north Kolkata earlier in the day.