Anubrata appointed convenor of TMC’s Birbhum core committee
The Statesman | 30 July 2025
Following a meeting with Trinamul Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee at Ranga Bitan Guest House in Bolpur, Anubrata Mondal, former Birbhum district president of the party, has been appointed convenor of the district’s core committee.
The post had previously been held by Bikash Roy Choudhury, MLA of Suri, but had been lying vacant, with Dr Ashish Banerjee, deputy speaker and chairperson, serving as acting convenor.
After Mondal’s arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation and subsequently by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a cross-border cattle smuggling case, he returned to his hometown Bolpur about a year ago. Despite this, he was not reappointed as district president.
Recently, Mondal was embroiled in a controversy which led to an FIR being lodged against him. He was reportedly directed to apologise to the police publicly and was summoned for questioning by the SDPO, Bolpur.
He had previously been denied an audience with the chief minister during meetings held on 20 and 21 July in Kolkata, but that changed after a brief 10-minute meeting with Banerjee in Bolpur.
“I am instructing both Anubrata Mondal and Kajal Sheikh to begin work immediately to prevent names from being deleted from the voters’ list. Visit the local areas, speak with residents, and raise awareness so that their names remain on the list,” Miss Banerjee said.
During Mondal’s incarceration in Tihar jail, his long-time rival Kajal Sheikh from Nanoor was appointed sabhadhipati of the Birbhum zilla parishad. Both leaders had been accorded Y-category security by Birbhum police.
With this fresh appointment to the seven-member district core committee, Mondal has officially reclaimed his leadership role within the party in Birbhum.
However, retaining control of the district poses a significant challenge ahead of 2026, as Birbhum remains marred by factional feuds and turf-war-related violence.