Reshuffle likely in TMC next month; Mamata to take final call

The much expected organisational reshuffle in Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is likely to take place in the first or second week of February with the party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to have the final say.

Party insiders said that Bengal’s popular festival of Saraswati Puja is in the first week of February and after that the Chief Minister will give her final clearance on the proposed organisational reshuffle.

“In subsequent internal party meetings, the Chief Minister had made it very clear that she will be having the final say in all the internal party matters and organisational decisions for at least the next 10 years and hence as regards the proposed organisational reshuffle her decision will also be final,” said a party leader and a state cabinet minister who did not wish to be named.

Political analysts feel that the Chief Minister’s clear message of being the final word in all party organisational matters is to put an end to the ongoing debate within Trinamool Congress between the “old guards” and “fresh blood”.

Trinamool Congress general secretary and party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee has already submitted his recommendations on the organisational reshuffle to the Chief Minister and in February it will be clear how much of those are accepted and how much rejected.

According to party insiders besides organisational reshuffle within the party Abhishek Banerjee has also suggested change of heads at the municipality level especially in those municipalities where BJP performed better than Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha polls last year.

Party insiders said that going by that logic change of top level in at least 69 municipalities in the state will have to be done since in those municipalities BJP was ahead of Trinamool Congress in terms of votes in the parliamentary polls last year. But party insiders said that how much of Abhishek Banerjee’s suggestions will be implemented will depend on the Chief Minister’s decision.