Calcutta, Oct. 1: Forward Bloc MLA Udayan Guha today joined the Trinamul Congress after meeting chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Calcutta airport.

"Udayan Guha has joined our party. He is an able organiser. He has been made a general secretary of Trinamul. He will contest from Dinhata (in the Assembly polls next year) and the party will use his organisational skills in north and south Bengal," Mamata said at the airport.

Last week, Guha, the MLA of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, had quit all party posts. Yesterday, he did not meet Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh despite a call from the veteran leader. Such steps had strengthened speculation that Guha could join Trinamul.

Guha, who had been advocating a change in the Bloc leadership, had quit as the party's Cooch Behar district secretary and as state secretariat member.

It was learnt that Guha, a member of the North Bengal Development Board, was eyeing a more prominent role in the body that is headed by the chief minister and has north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb as is its vice-chairman.

This evening, the Bloc expelled Guha, the Dinhata municipality chairman, for anti-party activities.

Bloc state secretary Ghosh said: "Udayan Guha has been expelled from the party. He used to talk about morals and principles. If that be so, he should quit as MLA and relinquish the municipality chairman's office and face a fresh electoral test."

Asked about the Bloc's reaction, Guha said: "I won't quit as MLA as only seven months are left for the Assembly elections. As for the municipality chairman's office, I am ready to face a no-confidence motion."

A section in the Bloc felt Guha's exit would cause considerable damage to the party's north Bengal unit, particularly in Cooch Behar.