Pavan Varma is a former diplomat and was once close to Nitish Kumar.
Pavan Varma, former senior Janata Dal (United) leader, today joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the national capital. He was welcomed by the TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Mr Varma, along with political strategist Prashant Kishor, was sacked from JD(U) over disagreements with party chief Nitish Kumar regarding the controversial citizenship laws.
Mr Varma called the West Bengal CM "a big force" in national politics and claimed people from all parties, including the BJP, will join her. "There has been no discussion on a Rajya Sabha seat for me," he clarified.
The Congress' Kirti Azad, a three-time MP from Darbhanga, Bihar will also join TMC later today. This is TMC's first foray into Bihar, with the party looking to strengthen itself as a national party before the Lok Sabha elections. "There will be more," said Mr Varma when asked if this is TMC's first foray into Bihar.
"We are elated to welcome Shri @PavanK_Varma into our Trinamool Congress family. His rich political experience will help us serve the people of India and take this nation forward to even better days!" the TMC said on microblogging platform Twitter, along with a video of Mr Varma and Ms Banerjee greeting each other with folded hands after the Bengal CM officially welcomed him to the party.
Mr Varma is a former diplomat, having represented India in Cyprus and Bhutan, and was once a close confidant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He was the general secretary and national spokesperson of JD(U). Mr Varma was also a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from June 2014 to July 2016.
"Today I have joined the Trinamool. After leaving the JDU I had time for contemplation. Looking at today's political landscape, we can see it is necessary to have a strong opposition. Mamataji is building a meaningful party and that is why I joined," Mr Varma told reporters.
"(After the) 2024 (election) Mamata Banerjee will be in Delhi (to form) the government," he added.
Ms Banerjee is currently on a visit to Delhi and is scheduled to be in the national capital till November 25. She plans to meet with opposition leaders to discuss a strategy to counter the ruling BJP in the Parliament ahead of the winter session which begins on November 29.
She will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss the expansion of jurisdiction for the Border Security Force (BSF) and other matters related to the development of her state.