KOLKATA: Discontent is brewing within the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal after the party leadership denied tickets to 74 outgoing MLAs for the upcoming assembly elections in two phases on April 23 and 29.
A day after the Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the ruling party in Bengal, announced the list of candidates for 291 of the 294 assembly constituencies on Tuesday, signs of disgruntlement intensified among a section of the 74 legislators.
“Those who are denied tickets should not misunderstand. They will be given other responsibilities in the party after the elections,” the Trinamool Congress supremo said after the announcement of the list of candidates on Tuesday. However, that did not quell the feeling of betrayal among several of these MLAs.
Khageswar Roy, a four-time Trinamool Congress MLA from Rajganj in Jalpaiguri, resigned from the district party post after being denied a ticket from the constituency.
Roy, a long-time organiser of the Trinamool Congress in north Bengal, predicted a defeat for the party in the constituency after Swapna Barman, a gold medallist in the 2018 Asian Games, was fielded from the seat.
He stepped down as the party's chairman in Jalpaiguri district shortly after the candidate list was announced on Tuesday. Expressing displeasure with the party leadership over being denied the ticket, Roy alleged that "money power" had influenced the decision.
"I have been with Mamata Banerjee since the time she left the Congress and formed the Trinamool Congress. Today I have been defeated by money. Someone must have given money, and that is why my name was dropped," Roy told reporters after announcing his resignation.
The outgoing MLA claimed that a person who has "never worked for the party" has been nominated from the constituency replacing him. Roy said he had built the party organisation in Rajganj over the years and that denying him a ticket was an "injustice". "The Trinamool Congress will lose the Rajganj seat," he said.
However, Roy said he had not yet decided whether he would join another political party. "I have sent a letter to the party. Let us see what decision the leadership takes," he said.
Former heptathlete Barman, a native of Jalpaiguri district, had joined the Trinamool Congress earlier this year when state ministers Bratya Basu and Chandrima Bhattacharya handed over the party flag to her at a programme in February.
The athlete, who had earlier indicated that injuries had forced her to step away from competitive sport, is currently employed with the Railways.
Tajmul Hossain, the outgoing MLA from Harishchandrapur in Malda, was also denied the ticket this time. The Trinamool Congress has fielded Matiur Rahaman from the seat instead of Tajmul.
An upset Tajmul, a three-time MLA from the constituency, said, “The party will have to face the consequences for not giving me the ticket this time.”
He told reporters on Wednesday afternoon, “I am stunned by the party’s decision. I cannot even imagine that I won’t be given the ticket. I have been with the Trinamool Congress for the past 15 years. Surprisingly, some other person was nominated. The candidate does not know anything about the party. He has no mass connection in the area. It is a breach of trust with me.’
Trinamool workers close to Tajmul alleged that I-PAC, a political consultancy roped in by the ruling party, is instrumental behind the move.
A large number of Trinamool Congress workers in Harishchandrapur said they won’t actively participate in programmes organised by the party during the election campaign.
The candidate list reflects a significant overhaul, with the party dropping roughly 33% of its legislators in a bid to counter anti-incumbency. Among those denied tickets are several prominent names including former cricketer Manoj Tiwari, Vivek Gupta, Sabitri Mitra, Ratna De Nag, Paresh Pal and Kanchan Mallick.
Party sources said the decision was driven by ground-level feedback. “There were concerns about anti-incumbency in several constituencies. Renominating the same candidates could have hurt prospects,” a senior leader said, requesting anonymity.
At the same time, the Trinamool has retained or reintroduced several key figures. Former minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who was jailed in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam and later granted bail, has been fielded from Habra in North 24 Parganas, while senior advocate and MP Kalyan Banerjee’s son, Sirshannyo Banerjee, will contest from Uttarpara.
