Subhendu Adhikary resigns as HRBC chairman, speculations on whether he will resign as minister & from party

Trinamool Congress senior minister Subhendu Adhikary has resigned as chairperson of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC). Following this, there is now a fresh round of speculation on whether he will step down as minister from the Mamata Banerjee cabinet and as member of the Trinamool Congress. Will he now part ways with the Trinamool Congress and join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)? Will it be a gain for the BJP and a loss for the Trinamool? Such speculations are doing the rounds too.

There have been series of speculations over the future course of action for Adhikary, as he has been appearing in public meetings without representing his party or as minister. The differences between Adhikary and the senior party leadership has also come to the fore. Several meetings have been held between Subhendu Adhikary and senior leaders of Trinamool Congress, including Sougata Roy.

Following Adhikary’s resignation as HRBC chairperson, another senior Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee has been appointed in his place. Recently, Banerjee had gone public to make statements against Subhendu Adhikary, though he has not named him. According to party insiders, this may be a clear signal to Adhikary from the Trinamool leadership. It is also being speculated that stepping down from the position of HRBC chairperson is the first step towards subsequently quitting his position as minister and then from the party. Adhikary also heads the Haldia Development Authority.