By Firstdespatch Desk Aug 24, 2022
Agartala, Aug 24: Barely six months before the elections to the sixty-member assembly in Tripura, the Trinamool Congress party today removed its party president, Subal Bhowmik from the post of President apparently for his weakness in ‘leadership capability’.
A press statement issued by the party today said, "Subal Bhowmik is being relieved from his duties of State President of Tripura Pradesh Trinamool Congress with immediate effect. All other members of the State Committee, State Youth Committee, State Mahila Committee, State SC Cell and State ST Cell shall continue in their positions as-it is".
The statement also informed that Trinamool Congress Tripura in-charge Rajib Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev would "look after" the functioning 
of the party in Tripura till a new state President is appointed.
Later, in a press conference, State in-charge of the party, Rajib Banerjee said, the party had reviewed the results of the last bi-elections in four constituencies held two months ago, which was dismal.
“Our central leadership had reviewed the results of the last bi-elections and lots of organizational weaknesses were found. Our performance was dismal. We need strong and more capable leadership because we are going to face a bigger electoral battle in the days to come soon”, Banerjee said.
However, he said that there was no report to him that Bhowmik would join the ruling BJP.
Bhowmik has changed political parties seven times till now. He was the state vice president of BJP till 2019 Lok Sabha polls and joined Congress after being the ticket for contesting in the general elections from the West Tripura constituency and contested with a Congress ticket. He was defeated to BJP candidate Pratima Bhowmik, who is now a union minister of state.
He later shifted again to Trinamool Congress in July, 2021.
The party suffered a major setback in the last bi-elections to four constituency two months ago as the party had secured only 3 percent votes.
After the bi-poll, there was exodus of party leaders and ranks alleging the Bengal based party was working in connivance with the BJP.
Baptu Chakraborty, general secretary of the party's state committee had quit Trinamool and moved back to Congress.
Last year, the TMC had secured 16.39 per cent votes in the urban body elections including the Agartala Municipal Corporation. However, it had finished second in the Agartala Municipal Corporation polls, and claimed to be “BJP's main contender”. FD JK