Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from the Indian National Congress (INC).

Sinha, who was also a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that he joined TMC after being invited by the “tigress of Bengal”, Mamata Banerjee.

He tweeted, “Happy to share that on an invite from our own, tigress of Bengal, tried, tested, successful honourable CM, Bengal @Mamataofficial I have joined TMC. Shall be contesting under the dynamic leadership of a great lady, great leader of the masses in true sense, Mamata Banerjee.”

In 2019, Sinha had changed sides as he joined Congress from BJP stating that the party had become a one-man show and that all decisions were made by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had said on Sunday that Shatrughan Sinha will be contesting the Asansol assembly seat in the upcoming bypolls in the state on April 12 on the party’s ticket.

The Asansol parliamentary seat was left vacant following resignation of Babul Supriyo who also joined TMC from BJP.

Supriyo will be contesting the Ballygunge seat which was vacant after the death of TMC MLA Subrata Mukherjee on November 4, last year. A key member of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, he was undergoing treatment at the state-run Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital.