Sovon Chatterjee to “return” to Trinamool Congress? Buzz after Ratna Chatterjee reported to have “given up” party responsibilities

Former Mayor Sovon Chatterjee’s “return” to the Trinamool Congress from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been doing the rounds for some months now. Earlier Ratna, Sovon Chatterjee’s estranged wife, was Trinamool Congress’ coordinator of the Banglar Gorbo Mamata programme in the Behala East constituency, where Sovon Chatterjee is the elected MLA. She was asked to give up the responsibility. Recently, she was asked to give up other party responsibilities in ward 131 of the area. However, according to reports, she has denied that she was in charge of this ward relating to her party, the Trinamool Congress.

However, the buzz around Sovon Chatterjee’s “return” to the Trinamool has nevertheless grown stronger now as he had earlier said it was impossible for him to work in the area where Ratna was working for the party. Sovon Chatterjee – once one of the closest aides of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee – had resigned from the position of minister and distanced himself from all party activities. After months of remaining distanced thus, he and his friend Baishakhi joined the BJP. However, neither Sovon Chatterjee nor Baishakhi were given important roles in the party, and there are undercurrents of friction between the duo and senior BJP leaders due to this.

Mamata Banerjee has recently been saying that leaders who have left her party are welcome to join back and urged them to forget about the past and work ahead for the future. With Assembly elections 2021 ahead, Banerjee wants to fight the BJP with leaders that have power and authority and who are able to win votes for the party, and Chatterjee has been a loss for the Trinamool Congress as he has been an able organiser.

Sources indicate that there are discussions going on, and the buzz of Chatterjee’s return is not merely based on rumours.