Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan on Saturday firmly denied reports claiming that former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked him to resign from his Berhampore Lok Sabha seat to pave the way for her to contest a by-election from the constituency.Releasing a statement, the former cricketer-turned-politician said that the rumours regarding his resignation are "completely false". He clarified that neither Mamata Banerjee nor any Trinamool Congress leader had approached him regarding vacating his parliamentary seat."For quite some time now, a piece of news has been going viral claiming that Mamata Banerjee asked me to resign from my MP seat, Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency, so that she could contest the election from there.
Mamata Banerjee never spoke to me about this matter. This claim is completely false. So, neither Mamata Banerjee nor any party leader has asked me to resign from my MP seat," Pathan said.
The clarification comes amid ongoing media reports claiming that former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly was acting as a political mediator between Mamata Banerjee and sitting Berhampore MP Yusuf Pathan. However, Ganguly issued a stern clarification and vehemently dismantled the reports, labelling them as completely "false and incorrect."
Sourav Ganguly Denies Reports
The controversy errupted after a front-page article published in a prominent Bengali daily on June 4 alleged that Sourav Ganguly had approached Yusuf Pathan, carrying a message from Mamata Banerjee. As per the report, the message requested Pathan to resign from his post as the MP of the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency to pave way for the TMC supremo to contest the by-elections from the seat. "It was alleged that I had contacted Mr Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamta Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and had carried her message that he should step down/resign from his Constitutional post as the elected representative of the aforesaid constituency in order to enable Ms Banerjee to contest the ensuing by-elections from the said constituency. The aforesaid allegations are untrue. I would request the media not to fall prey to rumours and speculations," Ganguly stated categorically, refuting the claims.
Mamata Banerjee's Future Plans Under Scanner
Following TMC's Assembly poll debacle in West Bengal, several speculations over Mamata Banerjee's political future are doing rounds in the political circle. It is also speculated that the former West Bengal Chief Minister could possibly seek a berth in the Lok Sabha through a by-election. Among the constituencies being discussed was Berhampore, represented by TMC MP Yusuf Pathan. However, Pathan's denial of resignation rumours has effectively ruled out any immediate possibility of the seat being vacated for such a move.Pathan secured a landmark victory for the Trinamool Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by winning the Berhampore constituency, a seat long considered a stronghold of Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
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