Babul Supriyo joining the TMC is likely to boost the party's prospects rather than his own

It happened rather suddenly, with nobody even in the BJP’s Bengal unit and political pundits knowing about it. The BJP’s star campaigner and once Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blue-eyed boy joined the Trinamool Congress. He joined the party in the presence of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and sent shockwaves in the Bengal BJP. Though he had withdrawn from “active politics” after being removed from the Environment Ministry, no one anticipated such a move. He had hinted that he would also resign his Parliament seat. This, however, was averted after JP Nadda persuaded him to continue as the Member of Parliament from Asansol. More than anything else, it is going to cause a demoralising effect on the BJP. The TMC hardly gains anything from inducting Babul Supriyo in its ranks. Reason — Babul may have overshot his political expiry. He lost by over 50,000 votes in the recent Bengal elections when he fought on the BJP’s ticket. Nevertheless, the TMC might be thinking of sending him to the Rajya Sabha. Arpita Ghosh, a Rajya Sabha member of the TMC, has been made to resign by the party. Babul Supriyo might be the new TMC entry into the Rajya Sabha.

After a spectacular victory in the Assembly elections, the TMC’s ambitions are soaring and it is spreading its wings to fly higher. On the one hand, it is trying to make a mark in national politics by courting various national parties and, on the other, it is making inroads into nearby States like Assam and Tripura. Babul Supriyo may not be important for the TMC in the byelections for vote-catching where Mamata Banerjee would be seeking people’s mandate but he can certainly be a trigger for others to leave their party and join the TMC. Four MLAs have already left the BJP and joined the party. It is a huge perception victory and morale booster for the TMC’s workers. It could even boost the party’s prospects in Assam and Tripura, where the TMC wants to fan out. An additional advantage is Babul’s Asansol parliamentary seat which, after his resignation, is going to fall into the lap of the Trinamool Congress. However, this ‘shifting loyalty syndrome’ does no good to the people or the cause of democracy. It shows the leaders in poor light; actually, it is tantamount to cheating and stealing people’s mandate.