Wife of BJP MP joins TMC, over a year after he left Mamata's party

The BJP appears to have experienced a setback amid the euphoria triggered by former TMC strongman Suvendu Adhikari joining the saffron fold last week.

Sujata Mondal Khan, wife of BJP MP Saumitra Khan, switched over to the TMC from the saffron camp on Monday, claiming that she did not get her due recognition even after taking several risks to get her husband elected during 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Saumitra Khan is the BJP MP for Bishnupur constituency. Saumitra had won from Bishnupur in 2014 on a Trinamool Congress ticket. He left the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP in January 2019. Saumitra was unable to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 after a court in Bankura barred his entry, citing cases against him.

Saumitra claimed the Mamata Banerjee government had slapped cases against him after he joined BJP. Sujata Mondal Khan campaigned extensively in Bishnupur. She was credited with helping Saumitra win from Bishnupur again.

On Monday, Sujata alleged that "newly inducted, misfit and corrupt leaders" are getting more importance in the BJP than the loyal ones.

"Despite enduring physical attacks, sacrificing so much to get my husband elected to Parliament, I got nothing in return... I want to work under our beloved leader Mamata Banerjee and our dada Abhishek Banerjee," Sujata Mondal Khan said, after joining the party in the presence of TMC MP Saugata Roy and its spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

Asked about the reaction of her husband, who is also the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state unit chief, she said it was up to him to decide his future course of action. "I hope he would realise one day... Who knows, he might be back in the TMC one day," Sujata said.

Sujata criticised the BJP and alleged the party lacked a face for chief ministerial candidate in West Bengal. "They have six names standing in pipeline for the CM post and 13 are in waiting list for the deputy CM seat. When I was in BJP and people would ask who is your face for CM, I had to say [PM Narendra] Modi. Till Lok Sabha elections it was fine, but BJP has failed to find a face in Bengal for its party," The Indian Express quoted Sujata as saying.

Sujata appeared to allude to Suvendu Adhikari. "I am not an opportunist like others. I was with the BJP when it was zero and gifted them a difficult seat like Bishnupur," She was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Saumitra had started his foray into politics with the Congress and had been an MLA. He joined the TMC in 2013.