"Arunava is from a family of a well-known Communist leader. His joining the party will certainly add strength to BJP and inspire more youths to come and join us," BJP state president Rahul Sinha said.
When asked why he chose to join BJP despite being from a Communist family, 36-year-old Arunava, who has never been associated with any political outfit, said "I cannot let a party or its leaders dictate what I should be doing, whom I should talk to or not talk to. This is the situation in both CPI(M) and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Amitava Nandy, who was a former CPI-M state committee member, was an MP from Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency.
He lost to Trinamool Congress's Saugata Roy in 2009. The veteran leader passed away in 2014 after prolonged illness.