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Russi Mody to join Trinamul Congress

Mamta Bannerjee's expansionist programme has got an unexpected fillip, with former Tisco chairman Russi Mody throwing his considerable weight behind the Trinamul Congress chief.

While neither Modi nor Bannerjee have come out with an official confirmation, the word in political circles is that the former industrialist will offically join the TC, heading up the party's unit in south Bihar.

This fits in with Bannerjee's aim of expanding the base of her outfit beyond teh boundaries of West Bengal, into the neighbouring states of Orissa and Bihar, as also into the north-eastern region including Sikkim -- a goal her ally, the BJP, is none too happy about.

As and when Modi officially joins Bannerjee's outfit, the TC and the BJP will both be competing for a share of the same votebank, in south Bihar, where the Congress in any event has all but been wiped off the political map. In fact, Congress leaders from the region have reportedly expressed willingness to cross over to the TC.

Modi has, for a while now, looked for a way to convert his undoubted clout in Jamshedpur into a concrete political gain. Standing alone and unsupported during the last general election, he had still managed to give a stiff fight to the BJP candidate in Jamshedpur. With a political organisation backing him, his prospects in future electoral contests can only brighten further.

At the same time, it gives Bannerjee a foothold in a region where her name does not, at this present, cut much ice.

The timing of the move is equally interesting. With Bannerjee having officially proclaimed her suspension of support to the BJP government and, further, indicated that her party will not accept any invitation to join the Vajpayee government in the planned Cabinet expansion, it makes political sense for the TC boss to not only consolidate her own base in West Bengal, but to begin widening it to include adjoining areas.

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