Kolkata, June 4 -- In a major political shift in North Bengal, senior Congress leader Sankar Malakar officially joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) today, ending his more than 40-year-long association with the Congress.
The long-speculated move was confirmed in Kolkata, where Malakar was seen holding the TMC flag alongside top party leaders. He took the party flag from TMC state president Subrata Bakshi and state Power Minister Aroop Biswas.
Malakar's defection has sparked widespread debate, given his longstanding role as a prominent Congress face in Siliguri.
He had twice served as MLA from the Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency - first in 2011 under a Congress-TMC alliance, and again in 2016 with CPI (M), backing but in 2021 he l...