"Mamata Didi Zindabad" Heard In Assam Assembly, Courtesy Of Lone Trinamool MLA

The first day of the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly, where 126 newly elected MLAs had gathered to take the oath, witnessed unexpected political drama on Thursday (May 21). The Trinamool Congress MLA chanted "Mamata Didi zindabad (Long live, sister Mamata)."

All 126 MLAs had gathered to take the oath under the supervision of Protem speaker Chandra Mohan Patowary and Assembly Secretariat officials. Sherman Ali Ahmed, the lone elected MLA from Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Assam had just finished taking his oath when he started raising slogans in support of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

Ahmed, the MLA from the Mandia constituency, joined TMC on March 21, days before the Assam Assembly elections. A three-term MLA, Ahmed was suspended from Congress in 2021 for "anti-party" activities. He had joined the Raijor Dal in February and was named its vice-president and candidate from Mandia. However, when the Congress and the Raijor Dal finalised their seat-sharing agreement, Ahmed was not formally nominated.

The slogans however drew immediate laughter and reactions from several members inside the Assembly, including legislators from the ruling benches.

Later, while speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Ahmed defended his statement and openly credited Mamata Banerjee for politically backing him during a difficult phase.

"I would like to express my gratitude to Mamata Didi for considering the party ticket in my favour. At a very crucial time before the elections, many political parties avoided me, but Mamata Didi rescued me politically," Ahmed said.

He further stated, "In my previous 15 years as an MLA, I never received such encouragement and political respect. I am the lone MLA of the Trinamool Congress in Assam today, but the party will definitely grow stronger in the state."

Ahmed hinted at the party's plans in Assam and said the Trinamool Congress is preparing for the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election.

"We are planning seriously for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election. Assam Trinamool Congress will appoint a strong leader for the election battle," he added.

Reacting sharply to the incident, BJP MLA from Thowra constituency Sushanta Borgohain criticised the slogan raised during the swearing-in ceremony.

"Mamata Banerjee is naturally their leader, but shouting such slogans inside the Assembly during oath-taking does not look appropriate. Sherman Ali Ahmed may have tried to show respect towards his leader from the Assam Assembly floor, but the incident is unfortunate," Borgohain said.

Another BJP MLA from Lakhimpur constituency Manab Deka also reacted to the controversy and claimed Mamata Banerjee has little political relevance in Assam despite being Ahmed's leader.

"Sherman Ali Ahmed has his own political base in Mandia. Even if he had contested independently, he could have won again. The constituency largely supports him personally, and perhaps he recalled Mamata Banerjee during the oath-taking as she helped him during the election campaign," the BJP legislator stated.

In Assam, the BJP won 82 of the 126 seats. Its counterpart, the Indian National Congress secured victory on 19 seats.