Former TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi joins BJP ahead of Bengal polls

Ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls, Dinesh Trivedi, who had resigned as TMC MP in Rajya Sabha in February, joined Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday in presence of party president JP Nadda in New Delhi.

"This is the golden moment for me, for which I have been waiting for a long time. Nadda ji and my friends knew I was waiting for this. I never left ideology. The nation was above everything for me. Every person believes that PM Narendra Modi and BJP will keep the nation secure," Trivedi said.

Welcoming the former railways minister into the party, Nadda said, "Dinesh Trivedi was the right person in the wrong party, now he is in the right party."

Dinesh Trivedi, a former Union minister, had announced his resignation as TMC MP in Rajya Sabha during a debate on the Budget in Parliament on February 12, citing the reason that he was unable to do anything over the violence in West Bengal.

"I am resigning from Rajya Sabha today. There is violence happening in my state. I feel suffocated that we are not able to do anything about the violence happening in the state. My soul tells me that if you can't do anything sitting here, you should resign. I will continue to work for the people of West Bengal," Trivedi had said.

Several TMC leaders had earlier joined the BJP in the run-up to Assembly elections.

West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.