Kolkata — On Saturday, suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and elected member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Bharatpur, Humayun Kabir, announced that his new Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) will field candidates in 182 seats in the upcoming state elections.
Kabir also said he hopes to build an electoral partnership with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis‑ul‑Jawāh (AIMIM). The ISF has yet to confirm whether it will join the alliance.
Prior to this, Kabir had claimed his party would contest 135 out of the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal, aiming to secure at least 90 seats. He believes he will be pivotal in the post‑election coalition talks next year.
“We have only one goal: to stop the BJP. Those who are calling me a traitor, like Mamata Banerjee, are the ones who have betrayed the Muslim community at every step. They betrayed the community regarding the Waqf (Act). They said they would handle it alone, but in reality, they deceived the people,” he said.
He followed that up by outlining his plans for the election: “What kind of results will we achieve by contesting in 182 seats? Let me tell you, there will be a miraculous result. Something that the senior and experienced politicians of West Bengal have failed to achieve. In the future of Bengal politics, I and the ISF are joining forces. If AIMIM joins, they are welcome.”
The details of any seat‑sharing arrangement remain unannounced. Kabir says he will wait until December 31 to finalise the alliance and disclose the specifics.
To campaign, he said he will visit three assembly constituencies each day, travelling by helicopter to save time. He added that he is unbothered by the prospects of TMC, BJP, Congress or CPI(M).
In response to the announcement, Abhishek Banerjee, the All‑India general secretary of the TMC, said at a news conference:
“Anyone can form a party. What is the problem? If one thinks one wants to, they can. People have to choose. People understand; they are smart. In 2019, you (Kabir) joined the BJP, the party that vandalised the Babri masjid. You did not want to set up a masjid then. If you want to make a mandir or masjid, then please make. But don’t politicise the matter.”
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