'Situation today pains me': Humayun Kabir offers Mamata Banerjee route back to Bengal assembly

NEW DELHI: In a dramatic political twist, AJUP founder Humayun Kabir on Thursday offered former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee a route back to the state Assembly from Rejinagar, just months after breaking away from the Trinamool Congress and campaigning against her government.Also Read | Mamata, Abhishek and 14 days of turmoil: How TMC's internal battle spilled into the openKabir, who won both the Nowda and Rejinagar seats in Murshidabad district in the 2026 Assembly elections, said he was willing to vacate Rejinagar and support Banerjee's entry into the legislature through the ensuing bypoll. "If Mamata Banerjee comes to me, I can send her to the Assembly from Rejinagar. If she contests from Nandigram, she will not win. But if she wants, I will resign and ensure her victory from my constituency," Kabir said, as cited by PTI.The offer comes in a striking reversal from a leader who spent much of the past year seeking to challenge Banerjee's rule and is now extending a potential lifeline to her political comeback in the Assembly.Also Read | 'You could not criticise Abhishek': TMC rebel explains the breaking point of dissentExtending sympathy for Banerjee’s current predicament, Humayun Kabir said he remained mindful of the role she had played in his political rise.“The situation in which she finds herself today pains me. Whatever I am today is because of her,” he said.At the same time, Kabir noted his own political clout in the region while offering support.Also Read | Amid TMC turmoil around Mamata Banerjee, Bidhannagar mayor Krishna Chakraborty resigns“Nobody may listen to her now, but in Rejinagar, Humayun Kabir is the final word,” he said.Kabir’s offer comes at a time when Mamata Banerjee is facing one of the most challenging phases of her political career following the TMC’s electoral setback and internal dissent that has shaken the party she founded nearly three decades ago.For Kabir, one of Murshidabad’s most influential political figures, the gesture represents a striking shift in political positioning.After being expelled from the TMC last year following a prolonged dispute with the party leadership, Kabir launched the Aam Janata Unnayan Party and quickly emerged as one of the state government's most vocal critics. He repeatedly targeted the Mamata Banerjee administration and called for its removal from power.