TMC forms steering committee in Tripura ahead of 2023 polls; to be led by Subal Bhowmik

With its eyes set on the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday declared its 19-member steering and youth committee for the state. Former Congress leader Subal Bhowmik, who has been infamous for his frequent shuffles to different political parties, has been appointed as the Convenor of the steering committee. The move comes months after TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee announced that his party would come to power in Tripura after the 2023 polls.

Former MLA Subal Bhowmik had till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, held the post of the BJP state vice-president and later parted ways with the saffron party to join Congress. He joined the TMC on July 29, this year abandoning Congress. He had faced defeat to BJP's Pratima Bhowmik who became the first face from Tripura to find a place in the Centre as Minister of State in the Union Council. 

TMC greets Tripura steering committee members

In a press release posted on social media, the All India Trinamool Congress announced the development under the leadership of party Supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"We wish the very best to all the appointees for their future endeavours," the release maintained.

Meanwhile, questions have sprung on the decision of the TMC high command to position Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader Sushmita Dev under the leadership of Bhowmik. Sushmita Dev, the former National President of the Mahila Congress, had recently joined TMC and was tasked to take account of Tripura.

The other members if the TMC steering committee includes former minister Prakash Das, former Tripura Chief Minister Sachindra Lal Singh's son Ashish Lal Singh, Krishnadhan Nath, Dr. Debabrata Deb Ray, Abdul Basit Khan, Tridib Dutta, Sampa Das, Kalpa Mohan Tripura, Mamam Khan, Nilkantha Sinha, Sarmistha Deb Sarkar, Rabi Choudhury, Shibani Sengupta, Idris Mia, Anjan Chakraborty, Anita Das, and Malin Jamatia.

On the other hand, former member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Baptu Chakraborty, who recently joined the Trinamool Congress, was given the role of the state youth convenor to lead a team of 10 others under his guidance. The party however has failed to declare any face for the upcoming elections and has not even formed organisational committees in the district and sub-divisional levels.

Tripura BJP MLA joins TMC

Meanwhile, to the surprise of the Bharatiya Janta Party in Tripura, MLA Ashish Das is reportedly all set to join Trinamool Congress. However, this is not an unexpected development as Das has been critical of Chief Minister Biplab Deb and has spoken against him in several public events. Recently, the politician was reported praising West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and claimed her to be the face of opposition for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after her spectacular win from Bhabanipur. Ashish Das is currently in Kolkata.

Image: PTI/TWITTER/@SUBALBHOWMIK