Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress is facing new pressure within West Bengal’s Muslim political space. Suspended MLA Humayun Kabir has announced plans to launch a new outfit and is engaging with AIMIM and the Indian Secular Front. His move follows his decision to lay the foundation for a structure described as a Babri Masjid replica in Murshidabad, a district with a large Muslim population.
Kabir said he wants to build a platform for Muslim voters. He claimed Muslims in the state lack a channel to raise demands. He said leaders from different parties are speaking to him. He also said his outfit will contest 135 seats. His statements indicate an effort to chip away at the TMC’s long-held Muslim support base.
The TMC is watching these developments closely. The party has depended on Muslim voters and rural women for its electoral success since 2011. The leadership responded with outreach in Malda and Murshidabad. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told public gatherings that her government will not allow communal tension. She said the administration will focus on peace.
Current numbers show no clear decline in Muslim support for the ruling party. In the 2021 Assembly polls, the TMC won 20 of 22 seats in Murshidabad. It won eight of 12 seats in Malda. It also won four of six seats in Uttar Dinajpur. These districts have high Muslim populations. The BJP made gains in parts of north Bengal, although one of its MLAs later returned to the TMC.
Kabir’s next steps and the response from Muslim voters will shape the political narrative in the state in the coming months.
