According to a brief tweet he sent Saturday afternoon, Tripura Congress leader Pijush Kanti Biswas has resigned as chairman of the party’s state unit and “retired from politics.” Mr. Biswas’ resignation is another setback for the Congress in its bid to recover power in the northeastern states, beginning with Tripura, which will elect a new government in two years.
“I appreciate all Congress leaders and supporters for their collaboration throughout my time as President of the TPCC with genuine thanks (acting). Today, I resigned as President of the United States and withdrew from politics”. Mr. Biswas sent out a tweet. As bad as his resignation is for the party, it may get worse: insiders say.
Ms. Dev, the former head of the Congress’ women’s section, joined Bengal’s governing party in the presence of prominent officials such as Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee. Ms. Banerjee’s party is working with poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC (which played a vital role in her election triumph) to increase its influence in the northeastern state ahead of 2023, bolstered a statement victory over the BJP in the Bengal election.
Read also: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to meet Opposition leaders
Trinamool activists and sympathizers came to the streets of Agartala last week, screaming “khela hobe” (game on) and urging leaders from the CPM and other opposition parties in the state to join them in fighting the BJP. Before the 2011 Bengal election, the Trinamool made a similar appeal, bringing down a Left-led government that had been in power for almost three decades. Several prominent members of the left-shifted their allegiances during that time.
Mamata Banerjee has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents, urging opposition parties throughout the country to band together to bring the BJP down. She met Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi last month for talks generally seen as crucial in this respect, and she was also a participant in an online conference of 19 opposition groups, including the Congress, called on to work toward the 2024 Lok Sabha election “in the interests of the nation.”
Read also: Former youth Congress president of Odisha passes away
Ms. Banerjee emphasized the need of every opposition party attending such meetings, “including those not associated with Congress” – a remark connected to absentees such as the Akali Dal, AAP, Samajwadi Party, and BSP from Uttar Pradesh, where elections are expected in a few months.
