Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy on Thursday conceded that his party had indeed backed Trinamool Congress candidate Dola Sen to win the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation elections in Rajya Sabha.

Roy said the BJP supported TMC following a request by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. TMC candidate and Rajya Sabha member Sen polled 90 votes while Congress’ Pradip Bhattacharya managed 46 votes. The CPI(M) could poll only 8 votes. The post had fallen vacant after Trinamool MP Debabrata Bandopadhyay retired from the Upper House.

Speaking about how the political parties often connive  to act in mutual interests in particular circumstances, Roy whose party is engaged in a fierce dogfight with TMC in its bid to come to power in Bengal said “ask them (Trinamool) how they got Dola Sen win the ESIC election to enter its governing council … ask them whether the 20 BJP members backed her party at the request of the Chief Minister or not”. The BJP leader spoke to reporters after coming out of  rebel TMC MLA and Salt Lake Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta’s residence.

The Trinamool is all set to take disciplinary action against Dutta for hobnobbing with Roy and the “dancing to the tunes of the BJP.”

Refuting Mukul Roy’s claim that TMC had sought any help from BJP, Trinamool leader Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said his party had not asked for any help from the saffron outfit, adding “it is for them to answer why they voted for us.” He also said that the Trinamool was forced into an election by the other Opposition parties when they fielded their own candidates whereas Congress candidate blamed the TMC for breaking the Opposition unity in Parliament.

Meanwhile, accusing the BJP for indulging in “horse-trading” in Karnataka the Chief Minister wondered whether what the saffron outfit was doing could lead India towards a presidential form of Government or a one-party dictatorship.