Work together to win all Birbhum seats, Abhishek tells district leaders
The Statesman | 19 September 2025Leaders of both the rival groups – Kajal Sheikh, sabhadipati of Birbhum Zilla Parishad, and Anubrata Mondal, chairperson of the Core Commiittee – were present at the meeting today in Kolkata. Both of them have said they will work together to achieve the target.
“Though the festive days are ahead, he instructed the Birbhum leadership to start campaigning throughout the district, as the Assembly polls are fast approaching,” said Kajal Sheikh. He assured the national leader of the party that all the leaders of the district would work unitedly to win all the Assembly seats next year.
In the 2021 polls, the Trinamul Congress won 10 of the 11 seats in Birbhum, while the BJP won one seat (Nalhati). The party had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the three-tier Panchayat polls in Birbhum district for the first time since 2011 without Anubrata Mondal taking part. He was lodged in Tihar jail after being arrested in 2022 by the CBI first then by the ED in the cross-border cattle smuggling case.
Despite his absence, the party had fared well in both the elections. During his absence, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had formed a core committee to run the party in Birbhum District. Dr. Ashish Banerjee, Deputy Speaker in the state Assembly, led the committee. Anubrata Mondal was released on bail a year ago.
During her official visit to Birbhum district in late July, both Anubrata Mondal and Kajal Sheikh had held meetings with her. Mondal was then given charge of the district’s core committee.
The return of Anubrata Mondal is expected to further bolster the party’s organisational strengths and skills before next year’s polls. Though district leader and Bolpur MLA, Chandranath Sinha, who is also the correctional homes minister, has been facing questions from the ED in the teacher recruitment scam, the party has fairly good chances at the hustings, provided Sheikh and Mondal work hand in hand. Both enjoy Y-Category security from the state police.
