Sayoni Ghosh emerged as the most prominent anti-BJP voice and a key supporter of Mamata Banerjee during the election campaign in Bengal.
It is learned that Saioni Ghosh, the main leader of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Jadavpur, has joined the rebel camp – a development that will be the biggest jolt for former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee amid her struggle to keep her party intact after losing the state elections.
Ghosh, who emerged as a leading voice against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and strongly backed Mamata Banerjee during the campaign for the recently concluded West Bengal elections, has not confirmed the move, though people familiar with the matter told HT that she may have already chosen a side and is part of the rebel group in what is emerging as the All India Trinamool Congress’s biggest crisis since its inception.
In April, the BJP strongly criticized Sayoni Ghosh, accusing her of allegedly making remarks that insulted the Sikh and Punjabi communities, after she used the C-word.calm [underpants]“To refer to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha switching to the BJP.
In a video shared by the West Bengal BJP on its official X account, Ghosh is seen commenting, “Chaddha can become Chaddha, Saayoni cannot,” directed at Raghav Chadha.
Who is Sayoni Ghosh?
Sayoni Ghosh, a former Bengali actor, became politically prominent during the recent Bengali election campaigns. It became associated with the Kaaba and Medina because of an election campaign speech/song in which the sentence was quoted or sung:
“Mere dil mein hai Kaaba, Or Mere Ankhon Mein Medina [Kaaba is in my heart, Madina in my eyes]”.
The line was used during an election rally to show communal harmony.
Before entering politics full-time, she was known for her work in Bengali films, TV and web serials. She joined TMC ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections and quickly became one of the party’s most prominent activists due to her fiery speeches targeting the BJP and her strong grassroots support for Mamata Banerjee.
This is the latest setback for Mamata Banerjee, the founder of the TMC, who faced successive blows from party leaders days after losing the elections. While 58 of the total 80 members of the party, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, openly rebelled last week, declaring that they had become the main opposition party in Bengal, MP Kakoli Ghosh on Monday offered support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) claiming that she had the support of 19 MPs – including Sayoni Ghosh, if speculation is to be believed.
Ritabrata Banerjee was recognized as the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal by the Speaker of the state Assembly last Wednesday. “
Meanwhile, Sushmita Dev resigned from the post of Rajya Sabha MP and said she has resigned from the TMC, days after Sukhendu Sekhar Rai resigned from the Senate. “I hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may be accepted with immediate effect,” Dev wrote in the letter addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.
Sayoni Ghosh was earlier this month reappointed president of the Trinamool Youth Congress, with Madhurima Thakur appointed as general secretary.
