Pirzada Kasem Siddiqui appointed Trinamool Congress's General Secretary

Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has appointed Pirzada Kasem Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif as the party's general secretary. The appointment is being seen as a strategic step by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to consolidate the Muslim vote bank and counter the growing influence of the Indian Secular Front (ISF).The decision carries considerable political weight, especially given the ISF's performance in the last Assembly elections. Before the previous polls, Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif had launched the Indian Secular Front, which made a strong electoral debut. His brother, Naushad Siddiqui, won the Bhangar seat in South 24 Parganas- traditionally a TMC stronghold - marking a significant breach in the party's Muslim support base.advertisementSince then, the ISF has been steadily expanding its presence in several Muslim-majority areas beyond South 24 Parganas, raising concerns within the TMC about erosion of its traditional vote bank. In this context, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee's move to bring Kasem Siddiqui into a prominent position within the party - without even a formal joining ceremony - is being seen as a strong signal of the importance the TMC places on retaining Muslim support.
Kasem Siddiqui, a well-regarded figure in Furfura Sharif, is closely related to Abbas and Naushad Siddiqui. His influence in the religious and social fabric of the region is expected to help TMC reconnect with voters who may have drifted toward the ISF. The appointment also suggests that Kasem Siddiqui could be given a larger role in the upcoming elections.advertisementMamata Banerjee's outreach to Furfura Sharif has been evident in recent months. During Eid-ul-Fitr, she visited the religious site, where Kasem Siddiqui was seen alongside her. The two were also spotted together at an Iftar party in Kolkata's Park Circus area, fueling speculation about a deeper political alliance in the works.Given the ISF's Muslim voter base and its roots in the religiously significant Furfura Sharif in Hooghly district, the TMC appears to be bracing for a serious electoral challenge. With this appointment, the party is attempting to reclaim lost ground and prevent further fragmentation of the Muslim vote in the state.Trending Reel

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hindustan Times

an hour ago

• Hindustan Times

Drop attempt to murder charge: Himachal leader of Opposition

Jun 22, 2025 08:44 AM IST Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday demanded the state government to immediately drop the attempt to murder charges that has been registered against BJP leaders, including state president Rajeev Bindal, and Paonta Sahib MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary in a case of stone-pelting that took place few days ago. He also demanded stern action against the main culprit of the incident. Himachal leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur (File) While addressing a press conference, Jai Ram said, 'What happened in Paonta Sahib was clearly a matter of Love Jihad and just like many other such instances involving people of Hindu and Muslim community, action was only initiated against Hindus while no action was taken against the Muslims, which clearly reflects the anti-Sanatan mindset of the government.' 'In a complaint filed by an ASI who was injured in the incident, he had mentioned that it were the people of Muslim community who instigated the violence and pelted the stones first,' Jai Ram said. 'While no action was taken against the accused boy, police arrested four individuals,' he added. 'Being a public representative several BJP leaders were also present during the situation, however, they were not present at the site where violence erupted; still they were booked under Section 109 of BNS,' said Jai Ram. 'The FIR is a result of political vendetta and it looks like the state government saw an opportunity to falsely implicate the top leaders of BJP,' he added.

Indian Express

3 hours ago

• Indian Express

In new twist to Kerala ‘moral policing' case, woman's family supports SDPI suspects

The suicide of a woman in Kerala's Kannur after a mob allegedly humiliated her for speaking to her male friend in public has now taken a new turn, with the woman's family supporting the suspects in the case. Raseena, a 40-year-old mother of three children, was found dead at her house in Kannur Tuesday — two days after some members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) allegedly conducted a 'mob trial' after they found her speaking to a male friend in public. The SDPI is the political wing of banned Muslim outfit Popular Front of India (PFI). Based the victim's suicide note, police had arrested three SDPI workers, C Mubasheer, 28, K A Faisal, 34 and V K Rafnas, 24. The suspects are all natives of Parambayi and the nearby areas at Vengad – a stronghold of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kannur. Rafnas is a distant relative of Raseena's. On Saturday, police registered yet another case against the arrested SDPI workers and two others after the woman's male friend, Raheesh Perikkandi, approached them accusing the gang of having abducted and assaulted him, even threatening to leak photos from his phone. Meanwhile, as police continue to investigate the allegations, Raseena's father A Muhammed — a CPI(M) member – approached the police accusing Raheesh of pushing his daughter to the extremes by 'pocketing her gold ornaments and cash'. He also claimed that the family was unaware of their friendship. 'One of the arrested persons is a close relative of my wife Fathima. They had intervened with good intentions. Her gold ornaments worth 40 sovereigns are missing. We have handed over her mobile phone to the police to find the truth,' he said, adding that Rasheesh had 'taken advantage of the discord in her family and tried to blackmail her' by leaking private photos. On its part, the police said it was looking into both complaints. 'The suicide note recovered from the woman did not contain any reference to her friend, but had stated that she was forced to end life due to the humiliation caused by the arrested persons,' Thalassery police sub-divisional officer P B Kiran said. He further said: 'The case, which was initially registered for unnatural death, has been altered to abetment of suicide. We are examining the complaint from the woman's family and also looking into whether they are under pressure to support the arrested people. The case registered on the complaint of the male friend against the arrested also will be probed as part of the suicide case.' Meanwhile, the issue has taken a political turn, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Kannur district secretary K K Ragesh claiming that moral policing 'was part of their [SDPI's] agenda to establish Islamic regime'. 'The SDPI wants to impose Talibanism, and society should speak up against this. The incident has shown the ugly face of the organisation, which issues fatwa against women. The woman ended life following a mob trial, and those who tried her have a Taliban mentality. They are still insulting the woman and her family,' he said Saturday. But the SDPI maintains the innocence of the suspects, who allegedly took Raheesh to the outfit's local office for questioning. 'When they saw the woman and the youth, they had summoned the relatives of the woman. The SDPI gave its office for discussions. The arrested youth were familiar with her issues and hence they intervened,' SDPI Kannur district president Basheer Kannadiparamba said.

Time of India

5 hours ago

• Time of India

Guv bats for permanent setup of 6 Murugan abodes together

Madurai: Lord Murugan represents the essence of Tamil culture, Bharat, and Bhartiya identity, Governor R N Ravi said on Saturday after visiting the venue of the Murugan devotees conference (Muruga Bakthargal Manadu) in Madurai, a day ahead of the main event organised by Hindu Munnani. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The governor arrived around 11am after a yoga day event and offered prayers at the prototypes of the six abodes (Arupadai Veedu) of Lord Murugan, recreated for the conference. "Murugan is our supreme lord who reflects the culture of . He is not just our god, but also our identity. As the son of Lord Shiva, whom we revere as the god of completeness and divinity across India, Murugan embodies Tamil values and culture," he told reporters after the visit. The governor praised the organisers, particularly Hindu Munnani, for assembling replicas of all six sacred abodes, traditionally spread across Tamil Nadu, at a single venue. "I have visited each of the Arupadai Veedu individually, but seeing them all together in one place is a divine experience. This is a long-held dream come true for many, and such a concept should be considered for a permanent setup in the future," he added. Earlier in the day, Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) president G K Vasan said after visiting the site that the devotees' conference will trigger a positive change in Tamil Nadu and 'pave the way for good people to serve society.' Later in the evening, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthiran and Maharashtra governor C P Radhakrishnan visited the Arupadai Veedu exhibit and offered prayers. In Coimbatore, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami extended his wishes. "In a democracy, everyone has the right to worship the deity of their choice. Based on that, an organisation is conducting the Murugan conference in a grand manner. I extend my best wishes for the conference," he told reporters. TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai said BJP cannot deceive the people through Murugan conference, asserting that Tamils are conscious of the true intentions of the party that pursues 'anti-democratic electoral practices, language and economic policies. '