Swati Banerjee, who won from Ward 5 in Rajarhat on a Trinamul Congress (TMC) ticket but had switched to BJP on March 14, is back again with TMC.

The two-time councillor, who is known to be close to Sabyasachi Dutta, had joined BJP at a programme in Dum Dum Park with the former mayor announcing her induction as she was handed the saffron flag by Arjun Singh, another TMC turncoat. Dutta had joined BJP in October 2019.

Her stint in the new party lasted all of seven days as she rejoined TMC on March 21 at Sujit Bose’s election office in AE Block in his presence. Bose is seeking re-election on a Trinamul ticket from Bidhannagar. Dutta is his main rival in the fray.

The same day in the evening the AE Block resident was spotted sitting with other TMC councillors at Bose’s Holi programme in BF Park, wearing a “Vote for Sujit Bose” badge.

“It (quitting Trinamul) was a hasty decision taken in a moment of rage,” Banerjee told The Telegraph Salt Lake on Tuesday, but refused to clarify who or what her rage was against. “I asked him (Dutta) if I could join BJP and joined the very next day. But then I realised I could not be with a communal party. I had simply stayed home and did not take part in any campaign for the BJP in that one week.”

She said she had texted her resignation to Dutta, who did not respond to her message.