Chandan Mitra began his career as a journalist at the Statesman House in Kolkata.
Highlights
- Chandan Mitra submitted his resignation to the BJP
- Mr Mitra is likely to join Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool on Saturday
- Trinamool Congress says many new faces will join the part on Saturday
When West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee holds her annual mega rally this Saturday to mark Martyr's Day - to commemorate the 1993 Kolkata firing - outside Victoria House in the heart of Kolkata, a homecoming of sorts could be on the cards.
Next to Victoria House is the Statesman House, home of the iconic newspaper. The occasion and location will be the perfect setting for one man to make a comeback in more ways than one. Senior BJP leader and two-time Rajya Sabha lawmaker Chandan Mitra, who has submitted his resignation to the party, is all set to join the Trinamool Congress on Saturday.
Mr Mitra began his career as a journalist at the Statesman House. He is currently the editor of the Pioneer newspaper in Delhi.
Both the Trinamool Congress and Mr Mitra remained tight-lipped about Saturday. But Ms Banerjee's party has promised that a large number of new faces will join the party on Saturday.
As of now, several Congress legislators are on the list. But Chandan Mitra would definitely be the biggest feather in its cap. He is believed to be unhappy at being sidelined by the Amit Shah-Narendra Modi axis of power in the BJP. In his resignation letter to the party, he has expressed unhappiness about some of its policies.
Mr Mitra had contested the 2016 West Bengal assembly election from the Hooghly seat on a BJP ticket and lost his deposit.
Mr Mitra is one of the bigger names to distance itself with the party.