Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday announced that he will float a new party by next month. The development comes ahead of next year's assembly elections in West Bengal.
Speaking at a press conference in Murshidabad, he said he would make further announcement regarding this on December 22. Kabir, who is a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from the Debra seat, also confirmed that he will not return to Congress.
"I am forming a new party. There is no more hesitation. I will be the chairman of that party and I will fight along with the Left," he said. "Many people will join me not only from Murshidabad but also from Howrah, North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Malda, North Dinajpur and Cooch Behar."
"I will not return to Congress. I want to work with new ideas in the new party," Kabir, a former minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cabinet, added.
Kabir's growing differences with TMC leadership
The differences between Kabir and the TMC leadership have been growing lately, and the Bengal MLA has accused the local leadership in Murshidabad of undermining party's functioning. For his controversial remarks and criticism of the party, the TMC has repeatedly issued show-cause notices to Kabir.
Kabir has pointed out that he has a problem with TMC's district leadership in Murshidabad, and not with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Kabir has been particularly critical TMC's Murshidabad president Kandi MLA Apurba Sarkar, whom he has vowed to defeat in the 2026 Bengal elections.
The TMC, meanwhile, is yet to react to Kabir's announcement.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly will be held next year. In the previous elections in 2021, the TMC had won 215 seats. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had bagged 77 seats.
