Kolkata: In a politically significant development, Pabitra Kar, the former BJP leader and Panchayat chief from Nandigram, East Midnapore, joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday in the presence of party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Expressing his discontent with the BJP’s alleged anti-people stance, Kar pledged loyalty to Mamata Banerjee and promised to work for public welfare. Soon after, he was fielded as TMC’s candidate from Nandigram, setting up a high-stakes contest against Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari—a leader he was once closely associated with—adding a layer of personal and political intrigue to the battle.
This could prove decisive in a Constituency where margins are thin. Kar quit the TMC in November 2020 to join the BJP and also played a significant role in consolidating the saffron party’s organisational structure in the Boyal-I area.
Kar was believed to have been instrumental in securing a lead for the BJP in the region in the 2021 Assembly polls when Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee by a slender margin of a little over 1,900 votes in Nandigram.
Kar took the TMC flag from Abhishek Banerjee barely hours ahead of the scheduled announcement of the party’s candidate list. Kar brings deep grassroots influence and insider knowledge of the BJP’s ground strategy.
The TMC, in a social media post said: “Dissatisfied with BJP’s anti-people stance, he has chosen to stand firmly beside @MamataOfficial and work in the true spirit of Maa-Mati-Manush for the welfare of the people. We extend a warm welcome to him and look forward to his dedicated service to the people.”
Trinamool further wrote: “His induction is a clear indication that the people of Nandigram are ready to reject the politics of betrayal and deprivation, and embrace the path of development and progress.”