Bengal: Arjun Singh set to rejoin BJP after TMC denied him a ticket for Lok Sabha polls

Announcing his rejoining in the BJP, Singh said, "I have moved on from TMC. I am set to rejoin the BJP. The joining may take place in Kolkata or Delhi."

"Another big leader is likely to join the BJP along with me," he added.

When asked whether he would contest from his stronghold Barrackpore on BJP's ticket again, Singh said, "It will be decided by the party."

Singh quit TMC in 2019 and crossed over to the BJP. He won from Barrackpore on BJP's ticket.

Singh returned to TMC in 2022, a year after the ruling party returned to power with a massive mandate in 2021 assembly elections.

Singh, a strongman from Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas, was present at TMC's mega rally- dubbed as Jonogorjon Sabha- in Kolkata on Sunday.

After he was denied a ticket, a disheartened Singh, who returned to TMC in 2022, said, "I was told that I would get a ticket. I would not have returned to TMC had I known I would not get a ticket. This is a kind of a breach of trust."

"I am not a seasonal fruit. I am a 12-month fruit," he added.

On his displeasure over not getting a ticket, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said, "He is still a BJP MP. He hasn't quit till now. We have to keep that in mind... Partha Bhowmick is our candidate and he will contest the elections."