Mamata Banerjee loyalist Anubrata Mondal joins TMC rebel camp
Anubrata Mondal joined the rebel camp on Saturday and was named its Birbhum district president. The move sharpens pressure on the Trinamool Congress in a district where he has long held sway.
In a setback for the Trinamool Congress, senior party leader and Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal on Saturday joined the rebel camp, marking a significant political development in West Bengal.
Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, announced Anubrata Mondal's induction and appointed him as the Birbhum district president of the rebel camp. The move is expected to alter the political dynamics in the district, where Anubrata Mondal has long been regarded as one of the TMC's most influential leaders.
The development reportedly gathered pace on Friday after former West Bengal Deputy Speaker Ashish Bandyopadhyay, who has already joined the Ritabrata camp, met the Leader of the Opposition at the Assembly. According to sources, a legislator from the rebel camp later contacted Mondal, during which his induction and proposed organisational role were discussed. Mondal is said to have agreed to the proposal.
WHY ANUBRATA MONDAL LEFT MAMATA BANERJEE?
For years, Anubrata Mondal has been regarded as one of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's closest political associates and one of the Trinamool Congress's most influential leaders in Birbhum. Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly stood by him during political controversies and legal challenges, publicly defending him on several occasions.
Mondal, too, had remained fiercely loyal to the TMC leadership for years, often reiterating that Mamata Banerjee was the party's undisputed face.
Interestingly, Mondal has never contested any election despite being in politics for over three decades. He prefers to work behind the scenes, and is one of the key persons involved in brainstorming the TMC’s expansion strategy.
However, following the recent Assembly elections, he began expressing differences on certain political decisions. He publicly suggested that the party should not have antagonised the Congress and indicated that he would reconsider his political future if he was not accorded due respect.
While the rebel camp formally announced Mondal's induction on Saturday, neither he nor the Trinamool Congress has officially commented on the development.
In a setback for the Trinamool Congress, senior party leader and Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal on Saturday joined the rebel camp, marking a significant political development in West Bengal.
Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, announced Anubrata Mondal's induction and appointed him as the Birbhum district president of the rebel camp. The move is expected to alter the political dynamics in the district, where Anubrata Mondal has long been regarded as one of the TMC's most influential leaders.
The development reportedly gathered pace on Friday after former West Bengal Deputy Speaker Ashish Bandyopadhyay, who has already joined the Ritabrata camp, met the Leader of the Opposition at the Assembly. According to sources, a legislator from the rebel camp later contacted Mondal, during which his induction and proposed organisational role were discussed. Mondal is said to have agreed to the proposal.
WHY ANUBRATA MONDAL LEFT MAMATA BANERJEE?
For years, Anubrata Mondal has been regarded as one of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's closest political associates and one of the Trinamool Congress's most influential leaders in Birbhum. Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly stood by him during political controversies and legal challenges, publicly defending him on several occasions.
Mondal, too, had remained fiercely loyal to the TMC leadership for years, often reiterating that Mamata Banerjee was the party's undisputed face.
Interestingly, Mondal has never contested any election despite being in politics for over three decades. He prefers to work behind the scenes, and is one of the key persons involved in brainstorming the TMC’s expansion strategy.
However, following the recent Assembly elections, he began expressing differences on certain political decisions. He publicly suggested that the party should not have antagonised the Congress and indicated that he would reconsider his political future if he was not accorded due respect.
While the rebel camp formally announced Mondal's induction on Saturday, neither he nor the Trinamool Congress has officially commented on the development.
