In a setback for Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, the party’s Tripura chief and last prominent face of the Trinamool Congress in the state, senior advocate  Pijush Kanti Biswas stepped down from the post and quit the primary membership of the party.

Biswas, who had switched over from the Congress in 2022, sent his resignation from the post as well as primary membership of the party to Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The party has witnessed a wave of defections, mostly to BJP and some to the Congress. Former State unit chief Subal Bhowmik, former Minister Prakash Das, and several key office-bearers joined the BJP before and after the assembly election in February this year. The Trinamool fared miserably in the election. Former Trinamool State general secretary Baptu Chakraborty and some others joined the Congress.

The party has witnessed a spate of defections, mostly to BJP and some to the Congress. Former State unit chief Subal Bhowmik, former Minister Prakash Das, and several key office-bearers joined the BJP after the Assembly election in February this year. The Trinamool fared miserably in the election.

Former Trinamool State general secretary Baptu Chakraborty and some others joined the Congress.

His exit is being considered a major loss for the party for his stature and influence as a senior politician and advocate. Biswas joined the Mamata Banerjee-led party in December 2022, crossing over from the Congress months ahead of the Tripura assembly elections.

 Biswas earlier served as interim president of Tripura Pradesh Congress, but left the party following the appointment of a full-time PCC president.

In the last assembly election the TMC contested 28 seats out of 60 assembly constituencies and all candidates forfeited their security deposits in all constituencies. It was only in Ramnagar seat of Agartala that Biswas’s son Pujan Biswas as candidate secured more than two thousand votes and was instrumental in causing the defeat of CPI (M) supported independent candidate and senior advocate Purushottam Roy Barman.

While, Biswas addressing a press conference to announce his resignation on Tuesday said that due to his personal reason, he was not active as party president in Tripura after assembly polls and it not wise to capture the prestigious post of state president without doing any political activities. He also expressed his gratitude towards the TMC’s supremo Mamata Banerjee and its all India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Biswas also said that till today he has not decided to join any other political party and added that if he joins any other party, then will inform the media.