# Bengal BJP faces backlash over former Trinamool leaders’ induction 2026-08-07T01:40:58+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The BJP won 207 of West Bengal’s 293 Assembly seats in the 2026 election, but its expansion has exposed internal tensions. Days after the victory, State president Samik Bhattacharya said the party’s doors were closed to Trinamool Congress leaders and ruled out its “Trinamoolification”. On July 9, he welcomed former TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik into the BJP. The party later announced their renomination to the Upper House with BJP legislators’ support. The Hindu reports that the decision angered BJP workers, with Bhattacharya describing shoe-garland protests against him. Former BJP president Dilip Ghosh defended the inductions, pointing to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s earlier defection from the TMC. The report says 20 of the TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs joined the NCPI and NDA, while 65 of its 80 elected MLAs backed Ritabrata Banerjee as Opposition leader. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: party defections, Rajya Sabha, Suvendu Adhikari, Trinamool Congress, West Bengal BJP Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bengal-bjp-faces-backlash-over-former-trinamool-leaders-induction/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bengal-bjp-faces-backlash-over-former-trinamool-leaders-induction/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.