Trinamul MLA Manirul Islam joined the BJP on Wednesday, the first prominent minority leader to break ranks with Mamata Banerjee.

BJP state minder Kailash Vijayvargiya, who ushered the legislator from Birbhum’s Labhpur into the party in Delhi, dubbed the crossover the “continuation of Phase 1” of the “seven-phase defection spree” he has promised.

Besides Manirul, his son Mohammed Asif Iqbal, Trinamul youth wing leader and former Nanoor MLA Gadadhar Hazra and youth wing activist Nimai Das joined the BJP. All four are from Birbhum, a Trinamul bastion, where the party’s district chief is Anubrata Mondal.

Although the BJP won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal in this general election, it drew a blank in Birbhum.

Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy — the former Number Two in Trinamul who is now in the BJP — underscored Manirul’s identity to claim it was a triumph of Narendra Modi’s post-victory slogan of “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas (Support of all, development for all, trust of all)”.

“Manirul joining us is very significant. This shows how we, in keeping with Modiji’s vision, are winning the trust of minorities. Despite her tall claims of support from minorities, Mamata is losing it,” said Roy.

Manirul echoed them, saying: “Minorities are now supporting Modiji because of his development agenda.”

Trinamul shrugged off the exits. “It doesn’t matter if one or two opportunist MLAs switch to the BJP. Some are opportunist and some are being forced to join through threat and intimidation,” Trinamul leader Tapas Roy told PTI.

Vijayvargiya and Roy said more lawmakers from Trinamul were likely to join the BJP in the next few weeks.

With Manirul’s defection, the BJP has taken its strength in the Bengal Assembly to 11 from three before the general election. Three Opposition MLAs had crossed over on Tuesday, and the party won four bypolls.

“We promised you seven phases and at least seven phases there will be. Pease don’t treat this as one. This was a continuation of Phase 1 launched on Tuesday,” said Vijayvargiya.

But the BJP unit in Birbhum appeared unhappy with Manirul’s entry.

“It is the decision of the big leaders in Delhi. Manirul’s induction will ruin the party’s organisation in Birbhum as most of the party workers will not accept him,” said Kalosona Mondal, a BJP general secretary in Birbhum.

Manirul was named an accused in the murder of three brothers in his courtyard in 2010. His name was later dropped from the chargesheet.

He was sidelined in the party after 2016, when he was ill for several months.