‘Have options’: BJP’s Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan hints at TMC shift if denied ministerial berth

KOLKATA/BANKURA: BJP’s Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan on Sunday indicated that he may quit the party and go back to Trinamool if not given a ministerial berth in the NDA govt. Khan, who had earlier been critical of the party brass in Bengal, also said he had been neglected despite his performance.
“I may quit the party if I don’t get a spot in the ministry.If the party isn’t just to me, what is the point in staying? I can decide the way I want to,” Khan said. In New Delhi to attend the swearing-in of PM-designate Narendra Modi, Khan indicated that he had several options including the one of “going back to Trinamool”. His statement comes a day after he posted that he would work towards Modi’s “Viksit Bharat” dream.
Khan, who was elected from Bishnupur in 2014 on a Trinamool ticket, joined BJP in 2019 and gave the seat to the saffron party. Following his joining, the party won three seats — Onda, Indas and Sonamukhi — under his constituency in the 2021 assembly polls. In 2024, he won Bishnupur again, although his margin was substantially reduced (from 78,047 in 2019 to 5,567 in 2024). “BJP entered Rarh Banga because of me. If I quit, the party will lose its hold on the area. We had a similar experience in Asansol after Babul Supriyo left. The state unit is being run by many who have never won an election,” Khan said.
“I have ensured the win of five MLAs from Rarh Banga. During my tenure, the Yuva Morcha has performed well. Despite this, I wasn’t even considered for the core committee. I have an official post but it doesn’t have much value. I didn’t expect a ministry last time, but after a third consecutive win from Bishnupur, I now feel neglected,” the MP said and added: “BJP has now decided to promote those who have been dragging the party down.”
While Trinamool did not formally react to Khan’s statements, a party senior said: “The TMC brass is aware of this. Khan has won thrice from Bishnupur, a feat very few in Bengal BJP can claim to have achieved.”
Khan had earlier lauded the political acumen of Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.