6 months ago
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Marking 1 of the astir talked-about governmental homecomings successful West Bengal successful caller years, erstwhile Kolkata Mayor and seasoned person Sovan Chatterjee connected Monday (November 3, 2025) returned to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) aft 7 years.
After rejoining the enactment on with his adjacent subordinate Baisakhi Bandopadhyay, helium headed to conscionable TMC nationalist wide caput Abhishek Banerjee.
Mr. Chatterjee’s instrumentality to the TMC, days aft helium was appointed president of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), has fuelled speculations that the enactment is reviving aged loyalties and reconciling with estranged veterans arsenic it prepares for the 2026 Assembly elections.
The duo formally rejoined the TMC astatine the enactment office successful the beingness of elder leaders Subrata Bakshi and State Minister Aroop Biswas, who draped them with enactment scarves, marking their ceremonial return.
“This is simply a instrumentality to my roots. Didi (Mamata Banerjee) is similar family. My arteries and veins are filled with Trinamool’s blood, this is my home, my family. I volition enactment nether her enactment again to fortify the party,” Mr. Chatterjee told reporters aft rejoining.
Mr. Biswas said the 2 leaders had expressed their privation to conscionable Abhishek Banerjee instantly aft rejoining, and helium had “gladly agreed.”
“They person formally conveyed to the enactment that they privation to lend again to Mamata Banerjee’s ngo for Bengal’s development,” Mr. Biswas said.
Party insiders described the instrumentality arsenic a “natural homecoming” for a person who had played a pivotal relation successful gathering the TMC’s basal successful Kolkata.
Mr. Chatterjee had discontinue the TMC successful November 2018, resigning arsenic Minister, politician and territory president, citing idiosyncratic reasons.
Mr. Chatterjee, a four-time MLA of the TMC and two-time politician of Kolkata, too being a minister, was asked by the Chief Minister to resign from his posts arsenic some Minister and politician successful November 2018 owed to idiosyncratic problems.
He joined the BJP successful August 2019, but his stint successful the saffron campy was little and bitter, marked by interior squabbles and increasing isolation.
Ironically, soon aft joining the BJP, Mr. Chatterjee had expressed his tendency to contention against Mamata Banerjee, his long-time governmental mentor, a determination that symbolised the heavy rupture successful their once-close relationship.
Ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, Mr. Chatterjee, who was fixed a enactment summons from Behala West, and Bandopadhyay discontinue the BJP, accusing its State enactment of “insults and betrayal.”
Since then, their instrumentality to the TMC fold had been a substance of recurring speculation, which gained traction aft their closed-door gathering with Abhishek Banerjee successful September and Mr. Chatterjee’s enactment with Mamata Banerjee successful Darjeeling’s Richmond Hill past period during her inspection of flood rehabilitation works successful North Bengal.
Within days of that meeting, the State authorities appointed Mr. Chatterjee arsenic NKDA chairman, mounting the signifier for his afloat governmental rehabilitation.
Political observers accidental the timing of Mr. Chatterjee’s return, a erstwhile cardinal adjutant who erstwhile belonged to Mamata Banerjee’s innermost circle, underscores the TMC’s strategy of healing aged wounds and rebuilding its trusted halfway arsenic it seeks to consolidate organisational spot earlier facing a resurgent absorption successful 2026.
“This is some a connection and a momentum move. It signals that the TMC wants to bring backmost its experienced hands and task unity earlier the adjacent electoral battle,” said a elder governmental analyst.
The comeback has already created a buzz successful Mr. Chatterjee’s erstwhile stronghold of Behala West, wherever posters featuring his photograph appeared soon aft his administrative reappointment past month.
Party insiders said Mr. Chatterjee’s determination has revived speculations that helium mightiness beryllium fielded from Behala West successful 2026, a spot present represented by jailed erstwhile Minister Partha Chatterjee, who remains embroiled successful a recruitment scam case.
