Tollywood actress Srabanti Chatterjee, who was seen close to the Trinamul Congress, joined the BJP on Monday.

She accepted BJP the flag from state party president Dilip Ghosh and the minder for Bengal Kailash Vijavargiya. “This is a new journey for me. I’ve received a lot of love from people and it is my duty to work for the people who have loved me,” Srabanti said after her induction into the BJP. “I want to thank the BJP that they’ve considered me to be qualified enough to be a member of their family,” she added.

Srabanti was one of the many popular faces from the film and the television industry who were regular at events organised by the Mamata Banerjee-led state government or even the Trinamul Congress. She had also campaigned for several state government schemes.

That’s why her joining the saffron camp came as a surprise for many. “They’ve done a lot, but we will do more,” Srabanti said when asked if she thought that the incumbent ruling party of the state has failed to discharge its duties. She also added that contrary to what other actors who had joined the BJP in the past had alleged, it wasn’t necessary for artistes to be in favour of the Trinamul to work in the industry.

Sources in Tollywood said a powerful producer in Tollywood, who was in the Trinamul camp till a few months ago, had played a key role in her switch to the saffron camp.

A few days ago, actors Rudranil Ghosh, Yash Dasgupta and Hiran Chatterjee, who were previously close to Trinamul, had switched sides to the BJP under the influence of this producer. While Yash had refrained from accusing Trinamul of misrule, both Rudranil and Hiran had expressed their angst against the party.

Srabanti has expressed her desire to contest the ensuing polls. However, she added that it would be the party’s decision to field her or not.