Trinamool Congress MLA Jitendra Tiwari joins Bharatiya Janata Party

Two-time MLA Jitendra Tiwari joined BJP in the presence of party state chief Dilip Ghosh at a programme in Sreerampur in Hooghly district.

Credit: Twitter / ANI

New Delhi: In yet another setback to the Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal, party MLA Jitendra Tiwari on Tuesday (March 1) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

He joined BJP in the presence of party state chief Dilip Ghosh at a programme in Sreerampur in Hooghly district.

"I have joined the BJP as I want to work for the development of the state. In TMC, it was no longer possible to work for the party," Tiwari was quoted as saying by PTI.

Tiwari is a two-time MLA from Pandabeswar in Paschim Barddhaman district and former mayor of Asansol.

Tiwari had resigned from the post of the chairman of the Board of Administrators of Asansol Municipal Corporation in December last year.

He had rebelled against the TMC leadership but mellowed down after the BJP declined to induct him into the party.

The assembly elections in West Bengal will commence on March 27. It will be conducted in eight phases ending on April 29.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly will be held in eight phases between March 27 and April 29. The counting of votes will be done on May 2.