Kolkata: West Bengal Police on Monday arrested former Trinamool Congress MLA from Bangaon constituency, Biswajit Das, in possession of firearms.
He was detained at Gopalnagar market square in Bangaon, North 24 Parganas district, after firearms were allegedly recovered from his car.
Das was taken to Gopalnagar police station but did not respond to journalists’ questions on the way.
Police said they had received confidential information that Das had a firearm. A search was conducted at his house and in his car, where a weapon was recovered. He was arrested on charges of illegal possession of firearms.
Das rose to prominence in Bangaon politics towards the end of the Left Front era. In the 2011 Assembly elections, he won from Bangaon Uttar constituency on a Trinamool Congress ticket and was re-elected in 2016.
Considered close to party leader Mamata Banerjee, he was influential in Trinamool’s Bangaon organisational district.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained ground in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Das shifted allegiance and joined the BJP before the 2021 Assembly elections, winning from the Bagda constituency.
However, he soon became disillusioned and returned to Trinamool after meeting Mamata Banerjee, later being appointed president of Bangaon organisational district.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Das contested against BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur from Bangaon but lost.
In this year’s Assembly elections, he was fielded again but lost to BJP candidate Ashok Kirtania.
(IANS)
