Major reshuffle in Trinamool, few mins to focus only on party work
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday carried out a major organisational reshuffle in the party and inducted several new faces in top berths. It designated some ministers with thrust on toning up the party ahead of next year’s crucial Panchayat polls.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier in the day announced a Cabinet reshuffle and said a few leaders occupying ministerial posts would be sent back to the party for organisational work.
Asima Patra the minister of state with independent charge of the department of planning, statistics and programme monitoring and Soumen Mahapatra, the state irrigation and waterways minister have been assigned organisational responsibilities in their respective districts. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has been appointed as the president of Barasat organisational district while Tapati Dutta has been made the district chairman. Biswajit Das, who had joined TMC from BJP, has become the Bongaon district president, replacing Gopal Seth. Shyamal Roy has been made the Bongaon district chairman.
TMC MLAs Tapas Ray and Partha Bhowmick were on the other hand relieved of their responsibilities as presidents of the party’s North Kolkata and Dum Dum- Barrackpore zones amid reports that they could find a place in the state ministry, party sources said.
As reported, several non-performers were removed from their posts and some were relieved from organisational duties paving their way for ministerial berths.
The new district committees have been set up with a mix of experienced and young leaders in the party, the sources said. The presidents of several organisational districts, including Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur, Nadia South (Ranaghat), HooghlySerampore, Jhargram and Bongaon were changed, while several others such as Kolkata North, Bankura, Uttar Dinajpur, Tamluk and Bongaon will now have new heads, they added.
Arunava Sen and Lagan Deo Singh have been made the Howrah district president and chairman respectively. In Purulia, Hangsheshar Mahato has been made the district chairman. He replaced Shantiram Mahato. Soumen Beltharia has been made the district president.
In Jhargram, Birbaha Soren Tudu has been made the district chairman while Dulal Murmu has been made the district president.
Soumen Kumar Mahapatra has been made the Tamluk district president while Pijush Bhuniya has been made the district chairman. In Kanthi, Tarun Maity has been made the district president while Avijit Das has been made the district chairman.
Anubrata Mondol has been made the district president of Birbhum while Ashish Banerjee has been made the district chairman. Rabindranath Chatterjee has been made district president of East Burdwan while Ashok Biswas has been made the district chairman.
Senior Trinamool leaders said the new district chairman and presidents have been appointed to streamline the party’s organisation before the Panchayat election. Trinamool chairperson Mamata Banerjee has already asked the district leaders to go to the blocks to build contacts with the people.
Accordingly, the leaders are visiting the areas. Abhishek Banerjee, party’s national general secretary, said tickets for the forthcoming Panchayat election would be distributed on the basis of performance.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar made Barasat unit president