Pranab’s son joins TMC, may get bypoll ticket

KOLKATA: Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee, a former Congress MP from Jangipur, joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) here on Monday.
TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee handed over the party flag to Mukherjee in the presence of party Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Mukherjee’s joining TMC comes ahead of the Jangipur assembly bypoll, due along with five other assembly bypolls, sparking speculation that TMC might offer him a ticket for the seat.
The former Congress MP said he took the decision because TMC had been able to “stop communal BJP” in Bengal. He vented his ire on West Bengal Pradesh Congress for denying him a party post for the last couple of years. Calling CM Mamata Banerjee an alternative to PM Modi, Mukherjee said: “Leaders, including many senior Congress members, believe that under her leadership and with cooperation from others, we can oust BJP from India.”