"He started to think that he was beyond party": BJP's Shankar Ghosh on Bishnu Prasad Sharma joining TMC

Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], February 19 (ANI): BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh on Thursday said rebel MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma joined the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) because he felt disconnected from the party and believed he was "beyond the party."
Ghosh added that Sharma's ego and inaction in his constituency since 2024 led to his departure, but it would not affect the BJP's work in the hill region.
Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said, "There is no harm in it... He has his own thoughts, but didn't receive any response from anyone. So he started isolating himself from our party... I don't think it will have any impact."
"His body was there in the party, but his mind wasn't. So it was a complete waste of time. Since 2024, he hadn't done anything for his constituents... He has his own ego problems. He had started to think that he was beyond the party," he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma from Kurseong Assembly constituency joined the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) today.
Sharma joined the party at Trinamool Bhavan in Kolkata in the presence of senior TMC leaders, marking a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the hill constituency.
At the same time, the BJP has intensified its ground-level preparations for the upcoming polls, with its manifesto outreach campaign, "Bikosito Paschim Banga Sankalp Patra, Paramarsha Sangraha Abhiyan," launched on February 7, aimed at gathering citizens' aspirations.
The campaign, which will conclude by the end of February, seeks suggestions from industrialists, educators, businesspeople, teachers, doctors, students, housewives, farmers, the Bengali diaspora, and other sections of society.
Party workers are visiting every booth and household to listen to grievances and expectations, treating the BJP as a family that engages with all.
In 2026, assembly elections are scheduled for four states and one union territory in India. The five legislative bodies up for election are West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the official schedule soon. (ANI)