Overview

• Former Congress MP Shankar Malakar joined the Trinamool Congress on June 5 and was elevated to State Committee Vice President on June 9.
• He said the Congress party lacked direction and grassroots connection in Bengal, limiting his ability to serve constituents as an opposition leader.
• Malakar, a prominent Scheduled Caste figure who represented Matigara Naxalbari in 2011 and 2016, is expected to boost TMC’s electoral prospects in north Bengal.
• His defection is the second high-profile switch to the ruling party after BJP MP John Barla joined TMC in May.
• In the same reshuffle, TMC appointed Sabyasachi Dutta as district chairperson of North 24 Parganas, further consolidating its local leadership.