Shortly after joining BJP, TMC turncoats Sukhendu Ray, Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik named Rajya Sabha bypoll candidates in Bengal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday fielded Trinamool Congress defectors Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik were as its candidate for by-election to Rajya Sabha from West Bengal.

The BJP announcement came shortly after the three TMC turncoats joined the saffron outfit in Kolkata.

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With TMC divided into factions, numbers suggest that all the three BJP candidates are almost certain to win the by-elections.

Sukhendu Sekhar Ray has long been associated with parliamentary politics and constitutional matters, with his skills in legislation and parliamentary debates being well known.

Ray was the most outspoken among the three former TMC leaders in his criticism of the Mamata Banerjee-led party as he accused the former Bengal CM of ruining three generations of Bengal.

“She (Mamata Banerjee) is finished; her party is over. So, further discussion on that is futile…,” Ray remarked shortly after taking the saffron plunge.

He further stated that unlike other Opposition states, where ruling and opposition parties usually approach the central government together to seek development, progress, or the implementation of specific agendas, the TMC government in Bengal under Mamata Banerjee focused on demonstrating its opposition to the Centre through shutdowns, strikes, and processions.

“Three generations of Bengal were ruined by this; those who had opportunities fled the state. While most states in India stepped forward to follow the vision and roadmap for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ laid out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we were busy with theft. We were shielding looters and rapists; naturally, such a cycle was bound to collapse…,” he added.

Sushmita Dev is a known face in national politics. Along with her long parliamentary experience, she is known as one of the most acceptable representatives of women’s leadership.

Speaking to reporters after joining the BJP, Dev accused the TMC of corruption and said that the Mamata Banerjee-led party has no future.

“There is no future for me in the TMC, and there is no future for the TMC either,” she said.

Prakash Chik Baraik, meanwhile, has long worked as a representative of the tribal community. Political circles feel that his political acceptance in North Bengal and Jangalmahal will further strengthen the BJP’s strategy of social expansion.

After joining the BJP, Baraik alleged that development works in Bengal were being stalled due to lack of coordination between the state and the central government.

Praising the recent budgetary announcements by the BJP-led Bengal government, the former TMC MP said, “We want development. Had this kind of coordination existed earlier, these problems would not have arisen.”