The Lok Sabha election results were a massive setback for Banerjee and her party, who were further left red-faced after Trinamool MLAs and councillors started deserting the ruling camp in Bengal and switched over to the BJP.
As many as 17 councillors of the Darjeeling Municipality joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi on Saturday. All the councillors, who were were earlier with the hill-based Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, joined the BJP in the presence of senior party leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Vijayvargiya said, "Bengal has had a history of political violence and the BJP will end that. The arrogance of the Trinamool Congress will be checked. People from the GJM have also joined BJP. In 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, we will get 250+ seats. I am certain of it."
He also hit out Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's decision to not attend the Niti Ayog meeting on June 15 and called her behavoiur undemocratic.
The Trinamool Congress, which had won 34 seats in 2014, was able to secure 22 constituencies this time.
With the saffron party bagging 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, its leaders have asserted that they would overthrow the Mamata Banerjee-led government in the next Assembly election.
