Lok Sabha elections across the country will be announced on Saturday, with political parties actively refining their strategies and announcing their candidates. Recently, the Trinamool Congress revealed all 42 names for West Bengal, wherein the ticket of sitting MP Arjun Singh from the Barrackpore seat was revoked, leading to accusations of betrayal from Singh, who had previously won on a BJP ticket in 2019 before switching sides.
Arjun Singh, presently representing the Barrackpore seat of West Bengal in the Lok Sabha, hails from North 24 Parganas, Bengal, born in 1962. His father, Satyanarayan Singh, a veteran Congress leader, played a pivotal role in establishing the TMC organization in the industrial area of North 24 Parganas. Arjun Singh’s political journey began with the Congress, eventually joining the Trinamool Congress when Mamata Banerjee formed the party. He held significant positions within TMC, including being part of the state core committee from 1999 to 2019.
Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Singh switched to the BJP and won the Barrackpore seat. However, his tenure with BJP was marked by discontent, particularly due to his dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership and policy decisions. Consequently, Singh rejoined TMC in May 2022.
Recently, TMC announced candidates for all 42 seats in West Bengal, canceling Singh’s ticket and replacing him with Minister Partha Bhowmik. In response, Singh criticized the party’s decision, expressing his intent to contest against TMC’s candidate from Barrackpore. He also lauded Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
In a significant development, Singh departed from TMC and rejoined BJP on Friday, further reshaping the political landscape in West Bengal.