"Misled": Rebel Trinamool MLA Kasem Siddiqui Returns To Mamata Banerjee Camp

Months after switching to the rebel camp led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress MLA Kasem Siddiqui has announced his return to the Mamata Banerjee camp.

On Monday, the MLA from Amdanga claimed that he was "misled" by the rebels under the impression that Mamata Banerjee remained their leader.

Addressing a press conference alongside Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh, Siddiqui said that he was and will remain with Mamata Banerjee. Talking about his move to the rebel faction, he said: "I went there thinking Didi was present. Then I saw that Didi wasn't there; there was no sign of her anywhere. People voted because of Didi. I campaigned in Amdanga carrying Didi's posters. Wherever Didi is, we are there too."

"We were called to just one meeting by Ritabrata and told that Mamata Banerjee will remain our leader. We were made to sign the letter amid confusion. We later realised that there was no Didi there and it was a separate group," he added.

"They were asked to sign by creating confusion and misrepresentation. There is no connection between the reality and the reason for which the signatures were obtained," Kunal Ghosh said.

Kasem Siddiqui is the MLA from Amdanga and a Pirzada of Furfura Sharif, a revered place for Muslims.

Meanwhile, as Kasem Siddiqui returned to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool, former Amdanga MLA Rafiqur Rahman met rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee had replaced Rafiqur Rahman with Kasem Siddiqui as the candidate in the last elections.

Siddiqui is a descendant of Abu Bakr Siddiqui - the 'Boro Pir' of Furfura in Hooghly. He has been close to Mamata Banerjee since 2024. Siddiqui defeated Arindam Dey of the BJP in Amdanga in the 2026 polls.