Know Your Turncoats, Part 8: Gorkha leader, ex-MLAs among 13 defectors in INDIA bloc

A Congressman who returned to his “mother party” to one who jumped ship to the BJP in the “best interest” – a total of 20 defectors are in fray in phase two of the Lok Sabha elections to be held across 89 constituencies in 13 states on April 26.   

In parts six and seven of this Newslaundry series on defectors contesting in the ongoing polls, we looked at the phase two candidates who shifted from the Congress to the BJP, and those who quit the BJP-led NDA to join the Congress party, respectively.

A total of seven turncoats are in the BJP and 13 in the INDIA bloc, including the six who joined the Congress from the NDA. Here’s the political trajectory of the remaining seven turncoats in the INDIA bloc, many of whom switched from one ally to another. 

Ali Imraz Ramz: Three-time MLA, political dynast, one criminal case

Ali Imraz Ramz is the Congress candidate from Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. 

The 44-year-old, fondly called Victor, entered electoral politics in 2009 with the Indian People’s Forward Bloc. He stayed there for the next 14 years until he was ousted for “anti-party activities” in 2022. 

The politician then briefly joined the Azad Hind Mancha in 2022 before jumping ship to the Congress in the same year. 

Ramz comes from a political family. His late father Mohammad Ramzan Ali was a four-time MLA from Goalpokhar and his uncle was elected to the state assembly thrice from the same constituency. He is contesting from Raiganj, which was one of the few seats won by the BJP in West Bengal in the 2019 polls. 

He was also booked for rioting, extortion, assault and illegal occupation of land in Kishanganj in 2019, when he was serving his third term as MLA from Chakulia.   

His wealth grew by eight percent in 14 years – from Rs 3.5 crore in 2011 to Rs 3.8 crore in 2024.

Dr Munish Tamang: Gorkha leader, English professor

Dr Munish Tamang is the Congress’s candidate from West Bengal’s Darjeeling. 

The 52-year-old is one of the most popular Gorkha faces in the north region of West Bengal. The resident of Kalimpong, a few hours from Darjeeling, is an English professor and the former national president of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh. 

Tamang is likely to face a fierce fight in Darjeeling, with several local coalitions, the Trinamool Congress’s Gopal Lama, and incumbent MP and BJP’s Raju Bista also in the fray. The key issues of the constituency are a demand for a separate state for Gorkhas and the preservation of Gorkha identity.   

The first-time Lok Sabha candidate’s wealth stands at Rs 2.5 crore, as per his affidavit.

Danish Ali: Ex-BSP leader, Jamia alumnus, incumbent MP

Danish Ali is the Congress’s candidate from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh. The 49-year-old is the incumbent MP from Amroha, which he won on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. 

A graduate from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, Ali began his political career with the JDS. He came into national spotlight after he was subjected to communal slurs by BJP’s Ramesh Bhiduri in the Lok Sabha in September last year. He subsequently got support from several INDIA bloc leaders including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi. 

About three months later, Ali staged a walkout from Parliament along with other opposition leaders over the cash-for-query controversy involving TMC’s Mahua Moitra. Soon he was suspended from the BSP for “anti-party activities”. He has now alleged that the BSP is the BJP’s ‘B-team’.   

Ali’s wealth grew by 43 percent in five years, from Rs 7.4 crore in 2019 to Rs 10.6 crore in 2024.

Dr Mahendra Nagar: Doctor, two-time MP, Cong’s Gujjar leader  

Dr Mahendra Nagar is the Samajwadi Party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.

The 68-year-old doctor and two-time MP began his political journey with the Congress nearly 25 years ago. A Gujjar leader, he served as the party’s Gautam Budh Nagar district president for 10 years till 2016. He jumped the ship to the SP in 2022. 

Nagar’s candidacy comes after SP announced Rahul Awana as its candidate and eventually retracted Awana’s name. Nagar is now set to contest against BJP’s Mahesh Sharma, who won the seat in the last two polls. 

As per his affidavit, his wealth stands at Rs 8.7 crore as of 2024.

Sunita Verma: UP’s first Dalit mayor, contesting against Govil

Sunita Verma is the SP candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. 

The 47-year-old’s political career has risen from the ashes , from contesting the panchayat elections in 2007 to finally securing her first electoral victory in municipality polls as a BSP candidate in 2017. She was the first Dalit to be elected as mayor in the UP MCD elections. 

In 2019, she and her husband, former MLA Yogesh Verma, were ousted from the BSP as Yogesh was arrested for organising protests in Meerut with the SP’s support. The husband-wife duo soon joined the SP. 

For Meerut too, the SP had first fielded another candidate, MLA Atul Pradhan. He had already filed his nomination when the party switched to Verma to contest against BJP’s star candidate Arun Govil. 

Senior SP leaders told Newslaundry that the decision was taken keeping in mind Verma’s popularity amongst Dalit voters, especially women. At the inaugural of SP’s election office, Shahid Manzoor, SP MLA, told us, “Look at the number of Dalit women who have come today to support Sunita. In UP, it is rare to see this kind of support for Dalit women politicians. Have only seen it for Mayawati. She has huge scope to rise in politics.”

Much like her popularity, Verma’s wealth has grown exponentially – by 248 percent – from Rs 2.7 crore in 2017 to Rs 9.4 crore in 2024.

Amar Sharadrao Kale: Three-time MLA, contesting from Cong bastion

Amar Sharadrao Kale is the Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s candidate from Wardha. 

The 50-year-old who has studied till class 12 is considered a big name in Maharashtra politics. He is a three-time Congress MLA from Arvi. On March 30, he left the Congress for the NCP (SP), which is also part of the INDIA alliance.

At the time, the Congress in Maharashtra hadn’t announced its candidate yet from Wardha, its traditional bastion. While jumping ship, Kale told the media he would soon be announced as a candidate and that his aim is to “defeat the BJP”. 

The Congress soon fell in line. Two weeks after Kale joined the NCP (SP), the Congress – for the first time in the history of India’s general elections – said it would not field a candidate from Wardha. Instead, it gave the seat to the NCP (SP).

As per his affidavit, Kale is a farmer and as of 2024, he has Rs 10.6 crore as wealth, higher by 360 percent from Rs 2.3 crore in 2019.

Bima Bharti: ‘Kidnapped’ in Feb, once ‘helped’ spouse escape prison

Bima Bharti is the RJD’s candidate from Bihar’s Purnia. The 51-year-old quit Nitish Kumar’s JDU weeks before the general election. 

The five-time MLA from Rupauli constituency is contesting the Lok Sabha polls for the first time. She is in the fray against Congress strongman Pappu Yadav. Days before voting, two of her personal secretaries were caught with Rs 10 lakh each in violation of the election code.   

In February, as Nitish Kumar changed sides, joined hands with the BJP and won the floor test, the JDU lodged a complaint alleging Bharti’s “kidnapping”. The party also alleged that the RJD was offering Rs 10 crore for defection.

Additionally, Bharti’s husband Awadhesh Mandal was arrested in 2016 for intimidation in a murder case. Bharti then allegedly helped Mandal escape prison. Her husband and son were again arrested in February this year in connection with an Arms Act case.

Over the past four years, Bharti’s wealth grew by 89 percent – from Rs 2.8 crore in 2020 to Rs 5.3 crore at present.