In a significant political setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), former Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and Prakash Chik Baraik joined the BJP in Kolkata. The leaders were inducted into the party in the presence of West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya, marking another high-profile defection ahead of the state's evolving political battle.