Kolkata, June 4 Veteran Congress leader from north Bengal, Sankar Malakar, on Wednesday joined the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.
Malakar is the second heavyweight leader from north Bengal, after former BJP MP from Alipurduar, John Barla, to join the Trinamool during the last two months.
Malakar arrived at Trinamool Bhavan, the party's state headquarters in Kolkata, and was officially included in the party by the Trinamool state President Subrata Bakshi, state Power Minister Arup Biswas, and the party's state Vice President Jaiprakash Majumdar.
Malakar was a Congress legislator from Matigara-Naxalbari (SC) assembly constituency from Darjeeling district from 2011 to 2021. However, he was defeated by the BJP’s Anandamoy Biswas in the 2021 Assembly polls.
He was also the district Congress president in Darjeeling for almost 20 years. He was also highly acclaimed within Congress for maintaining the party’s organisational network in the district up to a certain level, even when the party was bleeding in most other pockets in West Bengal.
Speaking to reporters after joining the Trinamool, Malakar noted that taking advantage of the Congress’s weakness in north Bengal, the BJP had gained strength in that sector of the state in the last few years.
"Now the BJP wants to divide north Bengal, and so they are encouraging separatists for Gorkhaland and Kamtapur. It has to be stopped at any cost. The Congress does not have the strength to combat the BJP politically in West Bengal. So I decided to join the Trinamool Congress,” Malakar said.
After Malakar’s joining, Arup Biswas hinted at the possibility of more heavyweight leaders from other parties joining Trinamool before the crucial Assembly polls scheduled next year. "Just wait and watch. We are not approaching anybody on our own. We will welcome anybody who expresses a desire to join us voluntarily,” he said.
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