Overview
- He formally entered the Trinamool Congress at Trinamool Bhavan in Kolkata, where ministers Bratya Basu and Shashi Panja inducted him.
- Sharma said the BJP failed to act on Gorkhaland and hill development pledges, accused the party of communal politics, and backed Mamata Banerjee’s development model.
- With his exit, reports place the BJP’s strength in the West Bengal Assembly at about 64 MLAs, a change that could influence the party’s Rajya Sabha prospects.
- He had already broken with the BJP by contesting Darjeeling as an Independent in 2024, securing roughly 7,400 votes against BJP MP Raju Bista.
- BJP leaders downplayed the defection, with chief whip Shankar Ghosh calling Sharma isolated within the party and arguing it would not affect the Hills vote as Assembly elections near.