TMC crisis deepens as Jyotipriya Mallick quits party posts, Siliguri mayor resigns
Mallick, a veteran leader and former food and forest minister, says health concerns have forced his decision
The leadership churn within the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) intensified on Friday, with former West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick stepping down from all party organisational posts, and Siliguri mayor Goutam Deb resigning from his civic post, citing separate reasons.
Mallick, a veteran leader and former food and forest minister, said health concerns forced his decision.
“I have resigned from all the posts in the TMC because of my extremely poor health condition… My blood sugar levels have shot up abnormally, and I am suffering from major kidney ailments,” he said, adding that “it makes no sense to hold on to a post when you can’t work.”
He also confirmed that he had already informed the party leadership. His exit comes just days after he was inducted into the party’s reconstituted working committee in a major organisational reshuffle.
Deb, meanwhile, submitted his resignation as mayor to the Siliguri Municipal Corporation commissioner, also relinquishing his official vehicle and security detail, officials said. He did not immediately issue a public statement on his decision.
The twin exits add to a growing churn in the TMC’s organisational structure, which has seen multiple resignations across urban local bodies and party wings in recent weeks.
Mallick’s departure is particularly significant given his long association with the party leadership and his past roles as a five-time MLA and state minister between 2011 and 2021.
The development also comes against the backdrop of widening political turbulence in the state, with dissidents challenging the party’s leadership both in the assembly and Parliament.
Reacting to Mallick’s resignation, BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar dismissed its political impact, saying, “For a party which has ceased to exist, such moves carry little significance.” He also added, “He will be judged according to the law of the land.”
On Deb’s resignation, BJP leader Shankar Ghosh called it a reflection of “incompetence” in civic administration, while asserting the BJP was not responsible for governance failures in Siliguri.
The latest exits follow a series of resignations from civic and administrative posts across West Bengal, further highlighting what critics describe as an ongoing organisational strain within the TMC ahead of key political battles.
With PTI inputs