Congress defector given top party post by TMC

Congress MP Shankar Malakar, who joined the ruling Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal, was made the State Committee Vice President. File | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri

Five days after former Congress MP Shankar Malakar joined the ruling Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal, he was made the State Committee Vice President. While joining the TMC, the veteran Congress politician had said that only the TMC could deal with the challenge presented by the BJP in Bengal.

The announcement came in an All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) official release on June 9. He joined the TMC on June 5. His entry is likely to improve the TMC’s prospects in the 2026 Assembly elections. 

Mr. Malakar, a major political figure from north Bengal, was also a former president of the Darjeeling District Pradesh Congress Committee. While the State Congress leadership expelled Mr. Malakar, he said that he had already sent his resignation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Along with Mr. Malakar, Sabyasachi Dutta has also been accommodated in an important post. He was made the district chairperson of North 24 Parganas. Mr. Dutta briefly joined the BJP and returned to TMC after the 2021 elections. He is also chairman, of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

Senior MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was made the district president of North 24 Parganas, and Kasem Siddique was made the General Secretary of the TMC State Committee.

Cong. lacks direction

“The Congress today lacks direction and grassroots connection in Bengal. I felt that working as an Opposition leader, I could do little for the people and was getting isolated from the people,” Mr. Malakar said while joining the TMC. The 70-year-old said that the State Congress leadership lacked initiative and the central leadership was soft towards parties that were political opponents of the party in West Bengal. 

Mr. Malakar represented the Matigara Naxalbari Assembly seat for two terms in 2011 and 2016 and is a prominent Scheduled Caste leader. Political observers say that his presence will boost the Trinamool’s prospects in north Bengal particularly in Matigara Naxalbari, a seat that is held by the BJP. Former State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that he was saddened by Malakar’s departure.

Mr. Malakar’s move to the TMC is the second big shift of a political leader from opposition to the ruling party in Bengal. A month ago, the BJP MP from Alipurduar, John Barla, joined the TMC.

Published - June 09, 2025 10:02 pm IST