Anubrata Mondal was removed as the Birbhum district president of the Trinamul Congress as the party effected major changes in several of its district units on Friday.

A nine-member core committee was constituted to run the TMC in Birbhum. The committee comprises Mondal and Kajal Sheikh, the head of Birbhum zilla parishad, who are known to be heading two lobbies of the party.

Followers of Mondal expressed dissent as his name was number two on the list with Abhijit Sinha aka Rana, the TMC MLA of Labhpur, being No 1.

“We wanted him to be reinstated as the district party president. The list hints that somehow, his role has been undermined,” said a TMC leader who backs Mondal.

Mondal, who had been behind bars since 2022, is now out on bail in the cattle smuggling case.

“I cannot say why the party didn’t announce a district president for Birbhum. The core committee was there earlier, and today, the number of members has been increased from seven to nine,” Mondal said.

After Mondal was arrested, the state TMC leadership formed the core committee to run the Birbhum party. However, after he was released on bail, his followers expected him to take control but that did not happen.

While they sounded disappointed, another section of the party came up with a clarification. “They have got it wrong. The list has been prepared alphabetically,” said a party functionary.

Sinha, the MLA, whose name tops the list, was earlier close to Mondal. But in recent times, there has been some distance between them, said TMC insiders.

A similar arrangement — another nine-member committee — was announced for the Calcutta north organisational district of the party.

As the list was announced today, TMC sources said that though party supremo Mamata Banerjee has endorsed the list, most of the names were recommended by the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

“The list shows that he (Abhishek) is dealing with organisational issues,” said a source.

In south Bengal, changes have been made in district-level posts in the organisational districts of Bankura, Purulia, and East Midnapore. In the north, changes have affected Darjeeling (plains), Malda and North Dinajpur.

In Darjeeling (plains), Sanjay Tibrewal has got the chairperson’s post, while his predecessor Alok Chakraborty has been made a state secretary. Interestingly, the party has not named the new district president. Papia Pal was the president of this organisational district that functions in the Siliguri subdivision.

“I will work together with the senior leaders and workers according to the directions of the party,” said Tibrewal.

In Malda, Chaitali Sarkar, a TMC councillor and the wife of Dulal Sarkar, also a councillor who was gunned down in January, has been made the new chairperson. Samar Mukherjee, her predecessor, has been included in the state committee.

The TMC leadership has brought Hamidul Rahaman, the MLA of Chopra, to the chairperson’s post in North Dinajpur.