Former India footballer-turned-politician Dipendu Biswas rejoined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, saying his brief stint with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was driven by "emotional factors".
Biswas, a former TMC MLA from Basirhat Dakshin and a well-known footballer who played for leading Kolkata clubs in the 1990s and 2000s, formally returned to the party at the TMC's Basirhat district office in the presence of local leaders.
Why Dipendu Biswas quit TMC in 2021?
He had quit the TMC ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections after being denied a ticket and subsequently joined the BJP.
Addressing speculation that his return could be linked to a possible candidature in the 2026 polls, Biswas dismissed the claims. "I never really worked for the BJP. I joined them out of hurt feelings, but that association was very brief. Was I ever seen at any BJP programme?" he told reporters.
TMC sources said Biswas had distanced himself from the BJP long ago and had participated in several TMC programmes over the past year and a half in North 24 Parganas district.
Will Dipendu Biswas fight the upcoming elections?
Asked if he will be nominated this time, Biswas said, "At this moment, I will work for the party. No one has discussed getting tickets. I will take on any responsibility leadership assigns."
Along with Biswas, several leaders and workers from the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the BJP, including a block-level Congress functionary from Basirhat, also joined the TMC.
Biswas had contested the 2014 bypoll from Basirhat Dakshin on a TMC ticket but lost narrowly. He went on to win the seat in the 2016 Assembly elections as a TMC candidate.
His return came a day after CPI(M) state committee member Pratikur Rahaman left the party and joined the TMC in the presence of the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
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