The defeat of Nisith Pramanik, the BJP candidate who was also the Cooch Behar MP, in the just-ended Lok Sabha elections has already triggered erosion in the saffron camp on his home turf.

On Friday, three days after the June 4 results, BJP members of two panchayats in Dinhata subdivision, Bhetaguri-II and Matalhat, where the party was in power, switched to Trinamool. TMC secured a majority in both the rural bodies.

In north Bengal, TMC has bagged only the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat this time.

In last year’s panchayat elections, the BJP bagged the Bhetaguri-I and II and Matalhat panchayats, places near Pramanik’s residence.

On June 4, TMC workers locked the Bhetaguri- I & II offices, alleging that the BJP had not let them enter the offices since last year’s rural polls.

On Friday, nine BJP members led by Dipak Barman, the deputy chief of Bhetaguri-II — Pramanik’s house is located under this panchayat – went to Dinhata and joined TMC in the presence of Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, the new TMC MP.

Later, Pinki Dey Sarkar, the pradhan, also joined Mamata Banerjee’s party.

At the rural polls, BJP had won 12 of 18 seats in the panchayat while TMC had bagged the remaining six. After this defection, TMC now has 16 seats in the panchayat.

Similarly, 15 BJP members of Matalhat panchayat joined the TMC, along with the pradhan and his deputy. In Matalhat, there are 22 seats. Out of these, the BJP had won 15 while the TMC had won seven.

“With this, all the seats are with TMC now. We also hope that in due course, BJP members of Bhetaguri-I panchayat will also join our party for the sake of development,” said a TMC leader.

MP Basunia alleged that Pramanik had unleashed a reign of terror in Bhetaguri.

“Those who were in the BJP realised their mistake and joined Trinamool,” he said.

The district BJP leadership, however, accused Trinamool of forcing their elected representatives to switch camps.