Partha Chatterjee, the former West Bengal Education Minister and long‑time Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA, is hinting at a political comeback after his release from judicial custody on Nov. 12. The 63‑year‑old was freed after more than three years in detention, when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in July 2022 over a multi‑crore cash‑for‑school job case in the state.
Chatterjee sent an open letter to voters in Behala (Paschim) Assembly Constituency, where he served five terms for the TMC since 2001. He asked if those voters believed he had accepted bribes to secure school jobs, or if they thought others were raising money and using his name to promise employment. He also urged people to consider whether those who tried to tarnish his reputation should face justice. “While I still respect Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as my leader, I need answers to these questions,” he wrote.
In the same day, Chatterjee announced he plans to join the upcoming winter session of the West Bengal Assembly later this month. He was suspended from the TMC shortly after his arrest, and as an independent legislator he will not be able to use the ruling‑party seat at the treasury bench that he previously held. Assembly insiders say he will likely be seated either in the treasury or on the opposition side.
When reporters asked about his personal life, Chatterjee was candid. He said he is a widower and humorously questioned why he can’t have a girlfriend, noting that if people can take two wives it’s not a problem for a single status. He also explained that his wife had passed away a long time ago.
Earlier on Tuesday night, he sent a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking clarity on his suspension after the ED arrest. He remains a controversial figure, especially after actress Arpita Mukherjee was also arrested in July 2022 by the ED in connection with the same cash‑for‑school job investigation, when large sums of money and gold were seized from her twin residences.
Chatterjee’s next steps remain closely watched. His planned return to the Assembly, the reaction from the TMC, and the outcome of the pending investigations into the cash‑for‑school job case will shape his possible political future.
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