Posters of Subhendu Adhikari in Kolkata spark speculation

Kolkata, Nov 21 : Till now, posters and banners were erected in the name of West Bengal Irrigation and Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari in various districts.
On Saturday, the same cut-outs featuring the Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP were erected right in the heart of Kolkata, triggering speculation of defection ahead of the high-voltage state Assembly elections scheduled next year. He has also seen attending ‘non-political’ events in various districts over the last one month.
Big banners were put up at the busy Shyambazar seven-point crossing, Biddon Street, Bagbazar, Vivekananda Road, Shyampukur and many other neighbourhoods of north Kolkata on Saturday morning along with posters of BJP state unit chief Dilip Ghosh. At the bottom of the banners, it was written that they were put up by the followers of Adhikari.
BJP MP from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh, said on Saturday that the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress is trying to sideline Adhikari the same way it had sidelined him.
“If on Ashikari joins the BJP, Trinamool Congress will not be able to remain in power,” Singh told mediapersons. Without naming anyone, he further claimed that as many as five Trinamool Congress MPs are currently ready to join the saffron brigade and they can resign anytime soon.
“At least five Trinamool MPs are ready to switch to the BJP and they can join us anytime soon,” the BJP MP said.