West Bengal Assembly elections: Who is TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee?

Rajib Banerjee was one of the leaders who took part in the exodus from the TMC to the BJP after Suvendu Adhikari opened the floodgate. At the time of his exit, he was the third state minister after Adhikari and Laxmi Ratan Shukla to quit the TMC.

Banerjee was elected to West Bengal Assembly as an MLA of Domjur seat in 2011 and was the state Irrigation and Waterways Minister. He held that post for seven years, and in 2018, was made the minister in charge of Tribal Affairs and Backwards Classes. He was removed from that post after TMC's poor performance in the tribal areas in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and was given the portfolio of the Department of Forest Affairs.

Rajib indicated that one of the key reasons behind his decision of exiting TMC was the lack of “courtesy” on the part of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when she removed him from the post of Irrigation Minister.

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“I was suddenly removed as Irrigation Department two and a half years ago. I expected minimum courtesy from a colleague (Mamata). I felt bad that I had to know through television that I have been removed from the Irrigation Department. At that time I was speaking to party workers. I was embarrassed,” said Rajib.

For the last few months, Rajib had repeatedly expressed his grievances against the TMC alleging that “yes-men” were getting more prominence in the party than a dedicated worker.

After joining BJP, Rajib reportedly told Amit Shah that the law-and-order situation and standard of living of the people had to be improved. Also, he urged Shah to provide a special package for Bengal.

West Bengal Assembly elections will be conducted in eight phases and will begin on March 27 and end on April 29. The counting of the votes will take place on May 2.