Kolkata: Judge yesterday, neta today

Kolkata : Two days after resigning as a judge in the Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay on Thursday joined the BJP. Earlier, on Tuesday, after resigning as the high court judge, he had announced that he would be joining the saffron party.

"Today, I have joined a new field. I am happy to join the BJP and will work as a party soldier. Our objective is to oust the corrupt TMC regime from the state," he said. Gangopadhyay, whose rulings on various education-related matters in the state stirred political debates, especially involving Bengal's ruling TMC, refrained from giving a direct reply to whether he would contest the polls. "Whatever task the party assigns me, I will perform it diligently," he said.

He was given a grand welcome at the BJP office in Salt Lake, as state party president Sukanta Majumdar handed him the party flag. "West Bengal's politics needs a person like Abhijit Gangopadhyay," BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the assembly, said.

. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said Gangopadhyay's joining exposes the BJP's "twisted tango with a section of judiciary." "SEEING IS BELIEVING! Talk about a 180-degree turn - from ORDERING CBI inquiries to JOINING @BJP4India, especially through someone named in a CBI FIR! This glaring flip EXPOSES the BJP's TWISTED TANGO with a SECTION OF JUDICIARY, all to the DETRIMENT of BENGAL'S INTERESTS," he posted on X along with a picture of him joining the saffron camp.