Agartala, Sept 08 (TIWN): Senior Congress leader and ex-minister cum MLA for 5 consecutive terms from the Ramnagar 6 Constituency, Surajit Datta; veteran leader and ex-minister cum portfolio Ratan Chakraborty and ex- minister of the same Congress party in the state Jwahar Saha shifted their political loyalty to Trinamool Congress formally at Kolkata today. Surajit Datta has been appointed as the State President and Mr. Ratan and Mr. Jwahar as the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively. Responsibility of the ‘Working President’ post has been assigned to Dulal Das.

The Congress leaders, who are camping at Kolkata, held a meeting with Mukul Roy, Trinamool’s General Secretary this evening. Pradesh Congress has been suffering from decay as many of its front ranking leaders are all set to join Trinamool.

 “We have formally shifted our loyalty to Trinamool and this is a moment of happiness and sadness together”, told Mr.Ratan.  The Congress veteran also told that they will return to the state on Monday and start their ‘new’ venture.

 Allegedly, Pradesh Congress leadership has probably failed to learn a lesson from their poor show during recent assembly elections. Even, support base of Congress in rural areas adders has started eroding since 2003. Many senior Congress leaders in almost all the districts in the state have left Congress to join CPIM after the recently held general election in 2013. In their two strong holds of Kailasahar and Nalchar, many key Congress leaders have joined CPIM making Congress weaker. Congress is still holding its grip over the city despite CPIM’s stiff opposition to the Congress.