Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee won a major vote of confidence from the Trinamool boss on Friday, renewing his hold on the party’s No. 2 position, after weeks of internal wrangling.
That Mr Banerjee will once again be the party’s All India General Secretary was announced after Mamata Banerjee held a meeting of the newly reconstituted National Working Committee – the top decision-making body of the party that governs West Bengal.
The meeting was held at Ms Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata.
Committee members were replaced this week amid an internal rift between supporters of Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew and heir-apparent, and her loyalists. The groups clashed over the ‘one man, one post’ principle that has irked the latter since many hold multiple posts in the ruling establishment.
Principal among the items on the agenda of the new committee’s first meet was the selection of office-bearers and their designations.
Mr Banerjee was the Trinamool Congress’ National General Secretary – a post he has held since June last year after the party’s statement win over the BJP in the Bengal Assembly election.
On Saturday all posts and the entire committee was disbanded.
The big question was whether Abhishek Banerjee would return to the top post after this reshuffle.
In re-constituting the National Working Committee Mamata Banerjee re-asserted her control over party affairs by packing it with veteran leaders firmly in her camp, but included Mr Banerjee.
Many saw the reshuffle as reflecting reports of friction between Ms Banerjee and her nephew, who is effectively the party’s second in command. But it has also been seen as a move by the Chief Minister to ward off a potential civil war just as she is poised to solidify her national ambitions.
Caught in the crossfire was the political consultancy group set up by Prashant Kishor – I-PAC. Last week, a spat erupted after party leader Chandrima Bhattacharya alleged her social media accounts had been “misused” by I-PAC – a claim promptly challenged by the group.
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