In a major move after the stunning victory in the recently held assembly election in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress on Saturday (June 5) decided to implement one-person, one-post formula in the party’s organisational structure. At the same time the party elevated its MP from Diamond Harbour, Abhishek Banerjee to the post of general secretary.
A decision has also been taken to expand the base of the party outside West Bengal and groom future leadership.
Political observers are of the view that the promotion of Abhishek, the nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, clearly suggest that his stature has increased and he is now a de facto number two in the Trinamool Congress.
After consolidating the party’s position in West Bengal Abhishek would now be spending more time outside the state.
Abhishek’s appointment as the general secretary can be viewed in the light of the demand from several quarters that Mamata should play a much larger role outside West Bengal. As no other regional party has inflicted such a devastating blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party as Trinamool Congress, Mamata’s demand at the national level has certainly increased.
Though the West Bengal unit of the Congress was dead against her, yet at the national level the party leader Rahul Gandhi is not so opposed to her. In fact, throughout the election Rahul came out to campaign only on one day and that too in North Bengal. Priyanka too remained invisible.
West Bengal watchers are of the view that since the Congress-Left Front alliance failed to open its account, the bargaining position of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Adheer Ranjan Choudhary, who is also the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, has greatly declined. So, a good working relationship between Rahul and Mamata cannot be ruled out.
