Mass Shift from TMC to Congress: Sajal Banik Says, "I Have Returned Home"

In a significant political shift, around 100 Trinamool Congress (TMC) members, including several key leaders, have rejoined the Indian National Congress (INC) in Cachar district. The mass exodus from TMC took place on Tuesday during a programme at Silchar’s Indira Bhavan, where the leaders were formally welcomed back to Congress by All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Prithviraj Prabhakar Sathe.

The joining ceremony saw prominent TMC leaders, including District General Secretary Sajal Banik, District Secretary Manjur Ahmed Laskar, Silchar Town Committee President Alok Acharya, Youth President Anupam Pal, and District Youth Secretary Sagnik Bhattacharjee, returning to their old party. Sathe honoured them with party scarves, expressing confidence that their return would strengthen Congress in the district ahead of upcoming elections.

Earlier, the day started with an organisational meeting with district Congress workers. Addressing the gathering, Sathe said the return of former Congress members would boost the party’s preparations for the upcoming Panchayat and Municipal elections, as well as the 2026 Assembly elections. He urged party workers to focus on grassroots-level efforts, announcing plans to form block and booth-level committees soon.

District Congress President Abhijit Paul hailed the event as a major success. “Around 100 TMC members have joined Indian National Congress today, following the leadership of Sajal Banik,” he said, calling Banik a key player in municipal politics.

In his speech, Sajal Banik described his decision to return as coming home. “Even though my body was in TMC, my heart and mind were always in Congress,” he said, vowing to work towards cleaning up Silchar town from its current state of neglect.

The event was attended by key leaders, including Cachar Congress President Abhijit Paul, MLAs Khalil Uddin Mazumder, Misbahul Islam Laskar, Aminul Islam Laskar, and other senior leaders like Sharifuzzaman Laskar and Suryakanta Sarkar. The leaders expressed optimism that the return of experienced leaders would give the party a much-needed boost in the district.