Kolkata, February 21: In a significant political shift in West Bengal, Pratikur Rahman, a member of the CPI(M) state committee and one of its prominent young leaders, officially joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday. Following his decision, the CPI(M) leadership expelled him from the party.
Rahman was formally welcomed into the TMC by Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary and Lok Sabha member, at the party office in Amtala, located in the South 24 Parganas district.
Notably, Rahman had previously contested against Banerjee as the CPI(M) candidate in the Diamond Harbour constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters after joining the TMC, Rahman explained that his choice to leave the CPI(M) stemmed from a lack of space to express his views within the party. He expressed his belief that the TMC offers a suitable platform to counter the policies and politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rahman stated, “Some people are saying that I have compromised with the TMC. Yes, I have made a compromise—it’s a compromise against the communal politics of the BJP.”
Welcoming him into the party, Abhishek Banerjee mentioned that Rahman had reached out to TMC leadership to express his desire to work for the people of the state. Banerjee also criticized the CPI(M) for imposing limitations on its young leaders and activists, pointing out the party’s failure to effectively protest issues like the special intensive revision of the voter list conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
This development comes ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for later this year and is expected to have significant political implications in the state’s evolving political landscape.
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