Kolkata, 03 November (H.S.). In a significant political development in West Bengal, former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee officially rejoined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday, marking his much-speculated comeback to the ruling party. Chatterjee, along with his close associate Baisakhi Banerjee, returned to the party during a programme held at the TMC headquarters in Kolkata. Senior TMC leaders Subrata Bakshi and Aroop Biswas welcomed them back into the fold.
Speculation over his return had been rife for months. The buzz intensified last month after Chatterjee was appointed Chairman of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), a move widely viewed as a precursor to his political rehabilitation within the party. With Monday’s formal induction, those political signals now stand confirmed.
Speaking at the event, Chatterjee expressed gratitude to the party leadership and assured that he would fulfill every responsibility entrusted to him with full dedication. After the programme at the TMC headquarters, Chatterjee and Baisakhi visited Abhishek Banerjee at his Kalighat residence, further cementing their renewed ties with the party.
Chatterjee’s relationship with the Trinamool leadership had soured in 2017, prompting him to resign first as Kolkata Mayor and later as a state minister. He distanced himself from several key Assembly committees, eventually quitting the party altogether.
On August 14, 2019, Chatterjee and Baisakhi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi in the presence of then BJP leader Mukul Roy. However, their stint in the BJP proved uneventful, with Chatterjee receiving little visibility or organisational responsibility. He was neither fielded as a candidate in the Assembly elections nor included in major party programmes.
Despite the prolonged political hiatus, Chatterjee never completely ruled out the possibility of returning to the TMC. His surprising visit to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on Bhai Phonta in 2022 had already set tongues wagging. The pattern continued over the past three years, including a recent meeting with the CM during her tour of North Bengal — developments that strongly hinted at a reconciliation.
With Chatterjee’s homecoming now official, the political countdown comes to an end — and new power equations within West Bengal’s political landscape appear set to emerge.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
