In major jolt to Cong, veteran party leader Shankar Malakar joins TMC ahead of 2026 Bengal polls

Kolkata: In a major blow to Congress in North Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, former Congress MLA Shankar Malakar on Wednesday joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata ending his 40-year-long association with his party.

Malakar said that he joined Trinamool after he realised that Mamata Banerjee’s party would only be able to fight the BJP and not the Congress.

“I have decided to join the TMC as this is the only party which can fight against the BJP and its communal politics in Bengal. I will fight to ensure their defeat in North Bengal. The Congress is in a miserable condition. With just a 3-4 per cent vote share, defeating BJP is impossible. Delhi’s leadership is dysfunctional,” Malakar told the media. Malakar, an important leader among the Scheduled Caste community in North Bengal and a former legislator of Matigara-Naxalbari between 2011 and 2016, joined the ruling party in the presence of senior Trinamool Congress leaders Subrata Bakshi and Aroop Biswas. Malakar joining the ruling party is seen as a strategic win for the Trinamool Congress as it would further help in further strengthening its organisation base in North Bengal region. It will also help the Trinamool Congress to fight BJP. North Bengal saw a saffron surge in the 2021 Assembly elections.

“The Congress today lacks direction and grassroots connect in Bengal. I felt it was time to align with a party that is actively resisting the BJP’s divisive agenda. I will work closely with the Trinamool Congress leadership to strengthen the organisation in North Bengal,” Malakar added. His entry into the Trinamool Congress comes on the heels of a jolt to the BJP last month when former Union minister and former Alipurduar MP John Barla had joined the TMC.

Barla, who was a very popular leader in north Bengal, expected to help the TMC expand its footprint among tea garden workers and Adivasi communities in the region.

Malakar had served as the Congress’ district president of Darjeeling and was once considered one of the last remaining mass leaders in the region, had lost the 2021 election to the BJP. Despite the loss, his political weight as an organiser and his grassroots connections remained undisputed. Claiming that the Congress’ influence in the region has waned, Malakar further said: “As someone who has worked at the grassroots for decades, I could no longer ignore the growing discontent.”

Political observers believe that the Trinamool Congress will undoubtedly strengthen its organization further in north Bengal with the joining of leaders like Malakar and Barla can turn the tide. Speculations were going on regarding Malakar’s possible defection. Political observers also believe that the Trinamool Congress may deploy Malakar in a key organisational role as well, hoping to challenge the BJP in the regions where the latter is still strong. However, the final decision regarding Malakar’s specific responsibilities in the party will rest solely with the Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Aroop Biswas hinted that some more leaders from the opposition’s camp may soon join his party. Soon after Malakar’s joining Trinamool, Biswas said: “There is spin on the pitch and more wickets will soon fall.”

Malakar also stated that he had tendered his resignation by sending a letter via e-mail to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and hence it was insignificant if the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee expelled Malakar.