Kolkata, Apr 25 (IANS): The main reason behind the erosion in Trinamool Congress' dedicated minority vote bank, as was evident in the recent bypoll to Sagardighi, a minority-dominated conttuency in Murshidabad district, is economic, claimed leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday.

"We could not win the Sagardighi Assembly by-election. But the results were a clear indication of the shift of minority support away from Trinamool Congress. The reason for this is purely economic," Adhikari told mediapersons.

The BJP leader also claimed that around one lakh Muslim youth from the state could not participate in Eid celebrations with their families in West Bengal since they had to migrate elsewhere to earn their livelihoods.

"Some of them are employed in Kerala, some in Kuwait, and some in Bengaluru, among other places. You go to Mumbai or Vellore, and you will see lots of Bengalis from West Bengal who have gone there for treatment purposes. This is because the Chief Minister of our state could neither provide them with jobs, nor with proper treatment facilities," the opposition leader said.