Kamal Kumar Biswas
Senior Correspondent
In a politically charged development that may recalibrate the balance of power in South Dinajpur, Sona Paul — a once-influential and later expelled Trinamool Congress strongman — formally joined the Indian National Congress on Friday, underscoring early tremors ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.Sona Paul, also known as Subhashis Paul, made the switch at the Balurghat District Congress office in a high-decibel show of strength, flanked by thousands of supporters. The symbolic moment was sealed when the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president, Shubhankar Sarkar, handed him the party flag in the presence of senior Congress leaders, including Golam Ahmed Mir.
The defection was not an isolated act of political realignment. Hundreds of Trinamool Congress workers from the Harirampur Assembly constituency crossed over alongside Mr. Sona Paul, signaling what political observers described as a visible erosion of Trinamool’s organizational cohesion in the district.Once considered a formidable grassroots mobilizer for the Trinamool Congress in South Dinajpur, Mr.Sona Paul’s exit is being read as both a personal repudiation of his former party and a strategic coup for the Congress, which has been striving to resurrect its footprint in the region. Analysts suggest the move could embolden further defections as opposition parties test the durability of Trinamool’s rural strongholds.
With the 2026 Assembly elections still over few months away, the Congress appears eager to project momentum early, framing Mr.Sona Paul’s induction as evidence of a broader realignment among disenchanted Trinamool cadres. Party leaders hinted that such consolidations could reshape electoral arithmetic in marginal constituencies where factionalism and voter fatigue have begun to surface.
For Trinamool Congress, which has long treated South Dinajpur as a reliable bastion, the departure of a high-profile local leader serves as a cautionary signal. As Bengal’s political climate grows increasingly volatile, defections like this one may foreshadow a more fractured contest — and a far less predictable road to 2026.
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