Leander Paes, actor Nafisa Ali join TMC in Goa ahead of 2022 polls

Tennis veteran Leander Paes, Bollywood actress Nafisa Ali and Mrinalini Deshprabhu on Friday joined Trinamool Congress in presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Goa ahead of the 2022 assembly polls.

"We are elated to share that Nafisa Ali and Mrinalini Deshprabhu have joined the Goa Trinamool Congress family today in the presence of our Hon'ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial. We wholeheartedly welcome both leaders!," tweeted TMC.

The West Bengal chief minister is in Goa and expected to interact with party workers and the fishermen community.

The Trinamool Congress, after its stunning victory in the West Bengal assembly elections earlier this year, is trying to increase its footprint nationally and has made inroads in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Goa and Tripura.

Former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and several other Congress leaders had joined the TMC last month.

Although TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had ruled out the possibility of allying with any other party for the upcoming assembly polls in Goa, the party supremo is likely to meet leaders of smaller parties in the state.

Elections to the 40-member Goa assembly will be held early next year.