KOLKATA: Suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir on Tuesday claimed he would emerge as a "kingmaker" in the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, asserting that no government could be formed without the support of his proposed new political outfit.
Kabir predicted that neither the ruling
TMC nor the BJP would secure a simple majority on their own, estimating that no party would cross the 148-seat threshold in the 294-member assembly.
"I will be kingmaker after the elections. No one can form a government without my support," Kabir told reporters, while indicating that the formal announcement of his new party would be made on December 22.
"I have said that I will contest in 135 seats. You will see that the party I form will win so many seats that whoever goes to take oath as the chief minister will need the support of my party's MLAs," he said.
Asked whether his outfit would be called the 'National Conservative Party', Kabir declined a direct reply, smiling and saying, "I will reveal everything later. You will know after December 22."
He also claimed that the new party would be launched at a massive public meeting.
"On December 22, I will announce my party by gathering one lakh people. The launch will take place at Berhampore Textile More," the suspended legislator said.
Kabir’s rift with the TMC deepened after his controversial role in laying the foundation for a proposed mosque, modelled on the Babri Masjid, in Murshidabad district on December 6 — the anniversary of the mosque’s demolition in Ayodhya, UP.
The TMC had suspended him last week for repeatedly defying party discipline and making provocative statements related to the project.
Earlier, Kabir had signalled that he would resign as an MLA following the suspension. However, on Monday, he made a U-turn, announcing that he would not quit the assembly.
Despite remaining in the legislature, Kabir reiterated that he would proceed with plans to launch a new political outfit later this month and explore potential electoral alliances.
"I have not yet spoken to the Congress. CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim has taken responsibility for talks with them. There is a strong possibility of seat-sharing with the Congress and the Left in Murshidabad for the next assembly polls," he claimed.
Kabir further asserted that two more MLAs would join his proposed party, though he declined to disclose their identities.
The TMC, however, mocked his claim and said he is "daydreaming."
"Humayun Kabir is daydreaming. First, he should try to save his security deposit before talking about making governments. Such baseless claims only expose his political desperation," TMC state general secretary Arup Chakraborty said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, the Left, and the Congress remain the principal opposition forces in West Bengal, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi, has recently been expanding its presence in the state.
Kabir has previously indicated that his future electoral strategy could involve forging an understanding with the Left, Congress, and AIMIM.
The AIMIM on Monday ruled out any electoral understanding with suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir, dismissing his overtures as "politically suspect and ideologically incompatible", days after his controversial mosque foundation ceremony in West Bengal's Murshidabad district.
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