Mamata Announces New Trinamool National Working Committee

Kolkata: In an effort to bridge the rift within the party, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee announced the new national working committee on Friday at a meeting held at her residence here, where she not only found a balance between newcomers and old guards, but also increased his control over the party by placing his loyalists at all levels of the organization.

Last week, the chief minister of West Bengal dissolved all party posts and formed a 20-member working committee.

Although Abhishek Banerjee was reinstated as General Secretary of Trinamool for All India, Banerjee clipped his wings by delegating three National Vice Presidents – Subrata Bakshi, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Yashwant Sinha – the first two of whom are considered close to the Chief Minister.

Sinha was named vice-president to give the party a national face. Minister of State Aroop Biswas was appointed party treasurer.

Others who have found a place in Trinamool’s new national working committee are Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Anubrata Mondal, Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim.

Sinha and Mitra were responsible for managing the party’s foreign and economic policy.

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Mahua Moitra will be the new party spokespersons, while Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim, considered the Chief Minister’s most trusted aide, will assume responsibility for coordination between the National Working Committee and the party chairwoman, the chief minister herself.

Banerjee last week dissolved the national committee of party officials, which included his nephew Abhishek Banerjee, and formed a 20-member working committee as rumors of dissent within the ranks spread.

Asserting his firm control over the party, Banerjee filled the new committee with party veterans, while also including Abhishek.

After the meeting, the Trinamool also announced the names of the mayors of three municipal corporations. Krishna Chakraborty will remain the Mayor of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation; Sabyasachi Dutta, who recently split from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to return to Trinamool, will be its chairman.

Bidhan Upadhyay will be the Mayor of Asansol Municipal Corporation, while Ram Chakraborty will be the Mayor of Chandernagore Municipal Corporation.

On February 14, Banerjee appointed Gautam Deb mayor of Siliguri municipality.

Banerjee’s preference for former loyalists is also clear in the selection of mayors. Polls of these four municipal corporations took place on February 12, which were swept away by the Trinamool.