'Leaving Congress Was Mistake': Pranab Mukherjee's Son Abhijit On Rejoining Party After Quitting TMC

Abhijit Mukherjee joined Trinamool Congress after the party's decisive victory in the West Bengal assembly elections 2021.

Abhijit Mukherjee has returned to the Congress party after leaving the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday.

Source : X

Former President late Pranab Mukherjee's son, Abhijit Mukherjee, rejoined the Congress on Wednesday after quitting the Trinamool Congress. He rejoined Congress after nearly four years at the West Bengal Congress headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan, in the presence of state party unit observer Ghulam Ahmed Mir.

"When I joined Congress, I had a government job... But I took a risk. I was told to contest elections from the Nalhati seat, which used to be my grandfather's. Congress could not get that seat for 44 years... But I got the seat... A Congress person will come back to Congress, it is natural... Leaving Congress was a mistake. I regret it," he told news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | On re-joining Indian National Congress, the son of late former President Pranab Mukherjee, Abhijit Mukherjee says, "... When I joined Congress, I had a government job... But I took a risk. I was told to contest elections from the Nalhati seat,… pic.twitter.com/O53zZ7vO61

— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2025

The 65-year-old, an engineer by education, worked with major corporate firms before coming into politics. After his father became President, Abhijit was elected MP from Bengal's Jangipur in 2012. He also retained the seat for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014. Later, he lost the seat to Trinamool Congress's Khalilur Rahaman in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to a report by NDTV.

Mukherjee Joins TMC After 2021 Bengal Elections

Following the 2021 Bengal elections, where Trinamool secured a decisive victory, Abhijit Mukherjee joined Mamata Banerjee’s party. After making the switch, he praised the Trinamool chief for halting the BJP’s rise and claimed that the Congress had never assigned him any role beyond primary membership.  

Mukherjee stated that he had joined Trinamool as a dedicated worker and would follow the party leadership’s directives. However, he remained largely inactive during his time with the party.  

He had previously sparked controversy with his remarks on the 2012 Delhi gangrape protests, referring to the women involved as "dented and painted." "Women who are participating in candlelight vigils and those who are protesting have no connection with ground reality. These pretty ladies coming out to protest are 'highly dented and painted'," he said. "I have my doubts...how many of these women are students...women in these age groups are generally no longer students."

Later, Mukherjee apologised for his remarks against women. "The remarks were regarding whether I thought it was a students' protest. They were not meant to hurt anyone. I apologise unconditionally," he added.