KOLKATA: Former West Bengal minister Jyoti Priya Mallick on Friday announced his resignation from all posts in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), citing health concerns.Mallick, a close aide of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and a key party organiser in North 24 Parganas, said he had already informed the party leadership about his decision.“I have resigned from all the posts in the TMC because of my extremely poor health condition,” he said.The resignation comes days after the TMC announced a major organisational reshuffle, in which Mallick was included in the party’s reconstituted working committee.Mallick, popularly known as ‘Balu’, served as West Bengal’s food and supplies minister from 2011 to 2021. He was considered one of the important figures in strengthening the TMC’s organisational network in North 24 Parganas over the last two decades.His political career faced a setback in October 2023 when he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam.After his arrest, Mallick repeatedly cited health issues and underwent medical examinations during his custody.The development comes amid reports of internal troubles within the TMC following the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.A group of 58 dissident TMC MLAs, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, broke away from the party leadership and was recognised by the Speaker as the dominant legislative group, with Banerjee elected as Leader of the Opposition.The crisis also spilled over to Parliament, where 20 rebel TMC MPs, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, moved away from the party’s central leadership and sought a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), claiming support from more than two-thirds of the TMC’s Lok Sabha members.The split has triggered legal and political disputes over party control, anti-defection provisions and the legitimacy of rival groups.In the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, Mallick contested from Habra on a TMC ticket but lost.A former MLA from Gaighata, he represented Habra for three consecutive terms after winning the constituency in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
