Abhijit Mukherjee, son of former President Pranab Mukherjee, is set to return to the Congress. Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Wednesday said that Mukherjee was in touch with the leadership and state PCC for the last year. "Today, it has been decided that Abhijit Mukherjee will join Congress again."
The return marks a new chapter for Abhijit, who left Congress in 2021 to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC). His exit followed his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where he lost the Jangipur seat to TMC’s Khalilur Rahaman. Speaking to ANI last year, Abhijit attributed his departure to internal issues within Congress, saying, "I was gradually marginalised by a particular person, a particular group… In the meantime, Mamata Didi called me back… and they offered me to join them."
Abhijit Mukherjee, who began his political career in 2011 by winning the Nalhati assembly seat, went on to secure a victory in the Jangipur Lok Sabha by-election in 2012, succeeding his father. He retained the seat in 2014 but failed to hold on to it in 2019.
His comeback comes at a time when Congress is working to strengthen its base in West Bengal. Addressing Congress' position in the state, Ghulam Ahmad Mir commented on other parties contesting independently. "Many times, they say that Congress is a big party, so Congress should take others along... Congress has always given space to other allies. But when other parties have a stronghold, they are not ready to take others along. At present, the Congress party is trying its best to stand on its own feet in the whole of West Bengal," he said.
Abhijit’s return is expected to bolster the Congress party’s efforts in West Bengal, offering a familiar face and political experience as Congress regroups in the state.
In the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, the Congress party delivered one of its worst performances, failing to win a single seat. Contesting as part of the Congress-Left-ISF alliance, the party struggled to make an impact, with many of its candidates losing deposits. The alliance was overshadowed by the fierce battle between the TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leaving little room for Congress to regain relevance in a state where it once held significant sway.