Humayun Kabir shot to spotlight after a rift with TMC following his controversial role in laying the foundation for a proposed Babri Masjid in Murshidabad.
Humayun Kabir is all set to challenge West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s crucial minority vote bank after launching his Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AUJP), which will make a debut in the upcoming election polls.
Humayun Kabir was suspended by the TMC late last year, following which he founded his own party. (ANI)
Kabir, a former TMC leader, is contesting the Bengal polls on two seats: Rejinagar and Naoda. He shot to fame last year after proposing the construction of a Babri-like mosque in Murshidabad’s Beldanga. The controversial initiative later led to his expulsion from the TMC.
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Here are six key details you need to know about Humayun Kabir:
- Humayun Kabir won the Bengal polls in 2021 from Bharatpur constituency in Murshidabad district on TMC ticket. He enjoys a considerable influence in the Muslim-majority region.
- He started his political journey from Congress, later moved to Trinamool and then joined the BJP after he was expelled from TMC. He lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a BJP candidate from Murshidabad, but returned to Trinamool.
- He shot to spotlight last year after a rift with TMC following his controversial role in laying the foundation for a proposed Babri Masjid in Murshidabad on December 6, the anniversary of the mosque’s demolition in Ayodhya.
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- The Babri Masjid issue featured prominently in the state politics, with the BJP attacking TMC over the issue, while the TMC distancing from the MLA. He was suspended by the party soon after the controversy in December last year.
- Ever since the resignation, Kabir launched his party Aam Janata Unnayan Party and started preparations for the assembly polls. The party planned to fight on at least 135 seats and went into an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM.
- Kabir stoked a fresh controversy this month after a video purportedly showed him claiming that he was in touch with BJP leaders and mobilising Muslim voters against the TMC in exchange for ₹1,000 crore. Though AUJP chief rejected the video as a conspiracy, the development led to a dent in Kabir’s image and also ended his party’s alliance with the AIMIM.
The upcoming election will be a litmus test for Kabir and his party in their bid to consolidate minority voters in the Murshidabad region.
