Didi elevates nephew as TMC general secretary

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, June 5

In what is believed to be an acknowledgement of the good work done by him during the recent high-voltage Assembly elections in West Bengal, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Lok Sabha MP and nephew of CM Mamata Banerjee, was today elevated to the post of party’s national general secretary.

Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, singled out Abhishek while attacking Mamata in their election speeches. At one point, Mamata, the TMC supremo, had thrown an open challenge to Shah to contest against Abhishek.

Widely perceived as Mamata’s heir apparent, Abhishek, following the promotion, has become the official number two in the party.

Abhishek had held the TMC youth wing president’s post till now.

Prior to him, Subrata Bakshi was the party’s all-India general secretary. Bakshi simultaneously held the office of the state unit president, a post he would continue to hold.

Among other changes, Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen was made the party’s trade union chief and Lok Sabha member Kakali Ghosh Dastidar the women wing president. The changes were carried out after two separate meetings of the party’s working committee and core committee held here under Mamata.