Senior BJP MLA and West Bengal Cabinet Minister Swapan Dasgupta said the political culture of the Trinamool Congress should not end up contaminating the BJP via mass defections.

In a social media post, Mr. Dasgupta said the BJP has to always be wary of false friends who are cosying up because they need to wash away their past sins.

“I shed no tears for the TMC’s self-destruction. My only hope is that the political culture of the vandals does not start contaminating the West Bengal BJP. We in the BJP have to be always wary of false friends who are today cosying up to the party because they need to wash away their past sins. The detox of Bengal cannot be left incomplete,” read his post on the social media platform X.”

The remarks by the MLA from Rashbehari come while the Trinamool Congress legislature party is dealing with a rebellion; more than two-thirds of the party MLAs have expressed support for expelled Trinamool MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who was appointed the Leader of Opposition on Wednesday (June 3, 2026).

More defections ‘imminent’

There is talk in political circles that given a chance, a majority of Trinamool lawmakers would defect and join the BJP. Almost every day since the change of regime in the State, Trinamool leaders have been announcing their decision to quit the party. Several local level Trinamool leaders have tried to paint their party offices saffron and place BJP flags.

State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya asserted that the party built itself up from the grass roots and finally took the polls by storm to notch up 207 MLAs. “Our doors are closed to the TMC. We reached the number 207 without importing anyone. The people voted against Trinamool. How can we include tainted individuals in the party?” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

Since 2011, when the Trinamool Congress came to power, defections from the Opposition to the ruling party have become the norm. MLAs and leaders of the Left and Congress defected to the Trinamool Congress in large numbers from 2011 to 2021. Therefore, the concern among BJP leaders, like Swapan Dasgupta, about Trinamool leaders joining the BJP in large numbers is not without basis.