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Former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who had quit Trinamool Congress to join the BJP in August this year, on Tuesday visited the Kalighat residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on the occasion of ‘Bhai Phonta’. He was accompanied by his close associate Baishakhi Bandopadhyay, who had joined the BJP along with Sovan.
The four-time MLA, party sources said, used to visit Mamata’s residence every year on Bhai Phonta — which celebrates the bonding between brothers and sisters. But last year he skipped as relations between the two soured.
While Sovan refused to speak to mediapersons after coming out of the CM’s residence, people close to him said that his visit had no political meaning.
However, speculation is rife that Sovan’s return to TMC is now just a matter of time.
“Today, we saw the old chemistry between Didi (Mamata) and Kanon (Sovan). I think any day from now Sovan will return to our party,” a senior TMC leader, who was present at the CM’s residence, told The Indian Express.
According to TMC sources, Sovan received a warm welcome from Mamata on his visit.
Meanwhile, BJP played down Sovan’s visit to CM’s residence, saying it should not be linked to politics. “Don’t relate this with politics. Anybody can give Bhai Phonta to anyone… We should keep politics aside when it comes to taking part in festivals, ” state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.
PTI reported that state BJP has informed its central leadership about the development and it is likely to seek “an explanation” from Sovan for visiting CM’s residence without informing the party. —With PTI Inputs
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