Humayun Kabir, the suspended Trinamool Congress MLA who recently floated a new political party, has dropped social media influencer Nisha Chatterjee as the provisional candidate of the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) for the Ballygunge Assembly constituency. The decision came merely hours after Kabir publicly announced Chatterjee’s name as the party’s nominee, triggering sharp political reactions and allegations of religious bias.
Ballygunge has traditionally been a Trinamool Congress stronghold since 2006 and is currently represented by singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo, making it a high-profile seat in the run-up to next year’s West Bengal Assembly elections.
Explaining his decision, Humayun Kabir said certain photos and videos of Nisha Chatterjee circulating on social media platforms were found to be inappropriate and inconsistent with the values he wanted his party to project. He claimed that members of his team had also raised objections after reviewing her online presence.
“I have seen some of Nisha’s photos and reels on social media. I feel she should not be our candidate. It will send the wrong message to the people,” Kabir said, asserting that as party founder he had the authority to withdraw her candidature.
Kabir maintained that the move was purely political and organisational, and not directed at Chatterjee personally. He added that a new candidate for Ballygunge would be announced shortly.
Seeking to counter allegations of bias, Kabir clarified that the replacement candidate would again be a woman. He also hinted that, like several other provisional candidates announced so far by the Janata Unnayan Party, the new nominee could come from the Muslim community.
Nisha Chatterjee, however, rejected Kabir’s explanation and accused him of removing her because of her religious identity. She alleged that her Hindu faith, rather than her social media activity, was the real reason behind the decision.
“Suddenly there are discussions about my videos,” Chatterjee said. “Humayun ‘kaku’ personally asked me to be a candidate. He supported my work earlier. Now he is saying different things and casting aspersions on me.”
Questioning the party’s claim of being secular, she alleged that her removal exposed an underlying bias. Chatterjee also pointed out that she had publicly supported Kabir during previous controversies, including his proposal to build a replica of the Babri Masjid.
Humayun Kabir was suspended from the Trinamool Congress earlier this month following repeated disagreements with the party leadership, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. One of the major flashpoints was his proposal to construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad, which sparked a fierce political row and drew sharp criticism from the BJP.
Following his suspension, Kabir announced the formation of the Janata Unnayan Party, positioning it as an alternative political force in West Bengal. He claimed the party would contest 135 of the state’s 249 Assembly seats and work for the interests of the “aam aadmi”, particularly Muslims. Kabir has also controversially predicted that the next Assembly could see the election of at least 70 Muslim MLAs.
The Trinamool Congress has downplayed Kabir’s political ambitions, dismissing his new party as inconsequential. Party spokesperson Jayprakash Majumdar said that similar outfits had emerged in the past and faded away without making an impact.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, accused Kabir of acting as a covert ally of the Trinamool Congress to split opposition votes. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said Kabir’s actions would not significantly influence the electoral outcome.
