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Sikkim abuzz as Bhaichung quits TMC

Former Indian football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia has announced he has stepped down as a member of the All India Trinamul…

Sikkim abuzz as Bhaichung quits TMC

Former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia (Photo: IANS)

Former Indian football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia has announced he has stepped down as a member of the All India Trinamul Congress.

“I resigned from the membership and all the official and political posts of the All India Trinamool Congress party. I am no longer a member or associated with any political party in India,” the ace footballer who tried his hand in at least two elections as Trinamool candidate in Bengal, said in his official Facebook page.

The development created a flutter in the political circles, even as guesswork started as to what the local man was up to. Even as efforts to contact him through various means failed on Monday, as he is vacationing out of the country, sources close to Mr Bhutia confirmed the development and said he has “plans of coming back to Sikkim and promoting sports as well as be a part of Sikkim’s politics in the future.”

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“Bhaichung was not under any pressure from the TMC, and he left the party on his own will,” sources said.

However, observers said the footballer may have quit the Bengal party as he was under pressure, “not from the Trinamul, but back home,” especially after Trinamul Congress chief and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Sikkim government of fomenting unrest in the neighbouring Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

Rumours mills, too, kept churning the whole day on Monday, with some saying “Bhaichung’s homecoming would either mean he is floating a new political party, or joining a prominent party here.”

Amid this, state BJP president DB Chauhan expressed hope that Mr Bhutia would join the saffron party.

“We welcome Bhaichung’s decision and are hopeful he joins the BJP, as he is our hero, our idol. He shares good relations with our leaders at the Centre. He is a national figure and it will be an honour to have him in our party,” Mr Chauhan said.

Minister of state for home affairs and BJP leader Kiren Rijiju was also quick to tweet, “Football icon & former Indian captain Baichung Bhutia’s resignation from TMC was expected. He told me he has high regards for Mamata Banerjee but was unable to cope with the situation. He desires to do more for Football & Sikkim. My best wishes to Bhaichung for his future endeavour.”

Mr Bhutia, 41, retired from professional football in 2011, and in 2013 he took a plunge into politics by joining the Trinamul Congress and contested elections twice in Darjeeling and Siliguri.

He lost both the times. He lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Darjeeling to BJP’s SS Ahluwalia by a huge margin. Two years later, the ace striker contested the Bengal Assembly elections from Siliguri and lost to CPM candidate Asok Bhattacharya.

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