'This kind of politics not for me': Writer Manoranjan Byapari quitting two TMC posts ahead of Bengal panchayat polls

Byapari, who won from Hooghly's Balagarh in the 2021 state elections, announced his resignation on Facebook.

In a Facebook post, Byapari wrote he quit as the member of 2023 panchayat election committee and general secretary of state TMC committee.

Byapari, however, will continue as the lawmaker until his pension starts. 

He said, "I had to quit my job to contest elections. I am yet to receive any pension or gratuity even two years after resigning from my job. So I am not able to quit as the MLA. Otherwise how will I feed myself?

"I will quit as the MLA the day my pension starts. Now I realise that this kind of politics is not for my type of people..."

Speaking to The Indian Express, Byapari, who is one of many TMC leaders who originally belong to different fields, said he was not happy with the candidate selections for the upcoming panchayat polls, which will be held in a single phase on July 8.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which is facing massive corruption allegations on various fronts, is accused by the opposition parties of indulging in violence ahead of the panchayat polls.

A number of political workers have lost their lives in pre-poll clashes in various districts of the state, which is heavily dominated by TMC in terms of political landscape since 2009.

Mamata argues her party is not involved in the clashes and the pre-poll scenario is far better than the ones prevailed during the Left Front regime, particularly in 2003.

In an unprecedented development, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the violence during nomination filing for the upcoming polls.

After the Supreme Court upheld the high court order to deploy central forces in the entire state, the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) has requisitioned the central government for 22 companies of central force.