Chandan Mitra quits BJP, set to join Trinamool on Saturday

Senior journalist and two-time Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra has quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and will join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Party on Saturday.

PTI photo

KOLKATA: Senior journalist and two-time Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is set to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Party.

According to sources, Mitra has submitted his resignation to BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday. He will join the TMC on July 21. 

July 21 is celebrated as a Shahid Divas by TMC. West Bengal Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee is expected to lead the event where Mitra will formally join the party.

According to sources, Mitra was upset after being sidelined under the Modi-Shah leadership. He was considered to be a close aide of veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani. 

Mirta is the editor The Pioneer newspaper and was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha during August 2003 to August 2009. In June 2010, he was elected to another term in the Rajya Sabha.

Mitra, who has been openly critical of BJP, was trolled on social media several times.