Kolkata, Jun 20: Veteran Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick has resigned from the party, bringing an end to his decades-long association with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In a handwritten letter addressed to Banerjee, Mallick said he was stepping down from the party due to health concerns, citing high blood sugar and his doctor’s advice to take complete rest while undergoing treatment.
Known as one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest associates since the early 1980s, Mallick played a key role in strengthening the Trinamool Congress, particularly in North 24 Parganas district. He remained one of the party’s most trusted organisational leaders and consistently delivered electoral victories from his constituency.
A founding member of the Trinamool Congress after its formation in 1998, Mallick served as the party’s state general secretary and later headed the organisation in North 24 Parganas. Under his leadership, the TMC won 30 of the district’s 33 Assembly seats in the 2016 elections.
Mallick began his political career through student politics in the Congress and emerged as a close confidant of Mamata Banerjee after campaigning for her successful 1984 Lok Sabha election from Jadavpur. Affectionately known as “Balu,” he rose steadily within the party ranks.
He was elected MLA from Gaighata in 2001 and 2006 before shifting to Habra, where he won in 2011 and was appointed West Bengal’s Food Minister. He served in the department for nearly a decade before being shifted to the Forest Department in 2021.
His political career suffered a setback after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in the alleged ration distribution scam. After spending more than 15 months in jail, he was granted bail and returned to active politics.
Despite receiving the TMC ticket to contest the 2026 Assembly elections from Habra, Mallick lost the election as the BJP swept to victory in West Bengal. His resignation marks the departure of another senior leader from the Trinamool Congress following the party’s electoral defeat.
