Pavan K Varma’s resignation brings to fore Trinamool’s national woes

Two of TMC's important leaders, Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal, were recently arrested and were under investigation in two separate scams

The Trinamool Congress got another setback on Friday when Pavan K Varma resigned from the party.

“Dear Mamata Banerjee ji, please accept my resignation from the All India Trinamool Congress. I want to thank you for the warm welcome accorded to me, and for your affection and courtesies. I look forward to remaining in touch. Wishing you all the best, and with warm regards,” Varma, a former Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] leader and Rajya Sabha MP, announced his resignation on Twitter.

While speculations are rife about his return to JD(U), the party that expelled him in January 2020, it was imperative that Varma’s decision be noted in the context of the political developments in two major states—Bihar and West Bengal.

Also Read | TMC leader Pavan K Varma tenders resignation from party

The realignment of Bihar’s political arena, as trigged by JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar—of whom Varma was extremely critical—was to be considered one trigger.

For West Bengal, however, his decision has more party-wise ramifications, as Trinamool is already facing public ire.

Two of the party’s important leaders, Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal, were recently arrested and were under investigation in two separate scams.

Since being elected to power in 2021 for the third time in the state, this is the most crucial phase faced by the party.

Earlier this year, Trinamool did quite well in the municipal elections, and it has pledged to give its best in the panchayat elections next year.

However, the intermittent incidents of violence and the central agency-led investigations into scams in the state have only made the party uneasy.

Now, compounded by its failure to perform well outside of West Bengal, the challenges that the party faces in its home turf would definitely shake it out of its comfort.

Varma’s exit brings into the limelight Trinamool’s national ambitions and the obstacles it would face to achieve those ambitions.

As the implosion of the Indian National Congress has created a void in the Opposition—Trinamool strived to play the role of leading the Opposition party. The Mamata Banerjee-led party saw itself replacing the Congress to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Trinamool, since last year, seemed to have been working towards building a team at the national level to expand its political presence beyond the state. Yet, there is regular attrition from the party, even as it inducted new members.

Varma and leaders such as Kirti Azad and Ashok Tanwar—both were with Congress previously—joined the Trinamool during Mamata Banerjee’s visit to New Delhi in November last year.

Two other Congress leaders who came into Trinamool’s fold last year were Luizinho Faleiro of Goa and Sushmita Dev of Assam.

However, Tanwar switched to Aam Aadmi Party in April. Veteran BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who joined Trinamool before the 2021 state assembly elections, resigned in June to contest the Presidential election as a common candidate of the parties in Opposition.