BJP MLA from Haldia joins the Trinamool Congress

Tapasi Mondal
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from the Haldia Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, Tapasi Mondal, on Monday (March 10, 2025) joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Ms. Mondal (53) had represented the same constituency as an MLA of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). She joined the BJP in December 2020 at a public rally addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. She had won the 2021 Assembly election from Haldia on a BJP ticket.

Ms. Mondal, who hails from the same district as the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, was considered close to the BJP leader. The defection comes as a setback for the BJP.

Almost a dozen of BJP MLAs have defected to Trinamool Congress since 2021 Assembly election, when 77 legislators of the saffron party were elected to the State Assembly.

Ms. Mondal joined the TMC in the presence of senior party leaders, including Minister Aroop Biswas. She said she had wanted to join the development ushered in by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and was not comfortable with the “divisive politics” of the BJP.

“Welcoming BJP’s Haldia MLA Tapasi Mondal to the Trinamool Congress family! Her decision to join us is a testament to the growing disillusionment with BJP’s politics. Under the leadership of Smt. @MamataOfficial, she will work tirelessly for the people’s welfare,” the TMC posted on social media platform X.

The development comes almost a year before the Assembly election in West Bengal is likely to be held.

Mr. Adhikari dared Ms. Mondal to come to the State Assembly and say that she was not a BJP MLA but a TMC MLA. Several BJP MLAs who defected to Trinamool Congress over the past four years continue to remain BJP legislators on paper. “The people will reject such political opportunists. Not a single BJP worker has joined the TMC along with her,” Mr. Adhikari said.

Ms. Mondal expressed her resentment against Tamluk BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former High Court judge, and raised questions over why he had been given a ticket to contest in the Lok Sabha election. Mr. Gangopadhyay described Ms. Mondal’s defection as “good riddance”.