Kolkata: Ahead of 2026 Assembly elections, heavyweight Congress leader from North Bengal and also former MLA Sankar Malakar on Wednesday had joined Trinamool Congress (TMC).
After joining TMC Malakar said that TMC is the only party which can defeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The present West Bengal Congress leadership is unable to do anything against the BJP. I want to serve the people and to do so it is important to be with the ruling party. I want to be a part of the developmental works done by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” said Malakar.
Malakar, was the Congress legislator of Matigara-Naxalbari between 2011 and 2016.
Malakar also mentioned that the TMC government has done many things for the people of North Bengal.
“The BJP is playing with the emotions of the honest people of North Bengal. BJP is giving them false hopes every time ahead of every election. TMC is still a part of I.N.D.I.A bloc where Congress is also a part. I have given my resignation on Tuesday to Mallikarjun Kharge,” further added Malakar.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said that more people will defect to TMC in days to come to be a part of Mamata Banerjee’s ‘developmental work’.
Former Congress president and former MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury mentioned that the defection of Malakar is a ‘jolt’ for the party.
“I had always got immense help from Malakar whenever I had visited North Bengal,” added Chowdhury.
Incidentally, former Union minister and Alipurduars former BJP MP John Barla also joined the TMC last month.
Poll analyst Biswanath Chakraborty is of the mind that with the induction of Barla and Malakar TMC might gain grounds in North Bengal.
