Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS) As predicted, party veteran and four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has been appointed as the new Chief Whip of the Trinamool Congress’ Parliamentary team in the Lok Sabha, which had fallen vacant on Monday following the resignation of another party veteran Kalyan Banerjee from that chair.

An official announcement on this count was made by the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday afternoon through a statement issued by the party.

“Shri Kalyan Banerjee submitted his resignation yesterday to the Chairperson from the post of Chief Whip of the @AITCofficial Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha. The Chairperson has accepted his resignation and thanked him for his contributions in that role.

“In consultation with senior parliamentarians, the Chairperson has nominated Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the new Chief Whip of the @AITCofficial in the Lok Sabha and Smt. Satabdi Roy as the new Deputy Leader of the AITC in the Lok Sabha with immediate effect. We extend our best wishes to both of them in their new roles and in their continued efforts to uphold Bengal’s pride, rights and honour,” the statement read.

A senior leader of Trinamool Congress pointed out that in the present circumstances, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was the automatic choice for the chair of the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had been among the senior-most and four-time Lok Sabha members of Trinamool Congress since 2009.

Meanwhile, Sudip Bandyopadhyay was replaced by the party’s General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee as the leader of Trinamool Congress’ Parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha because of the senior leader’s ill-health and hence consideration of his name as the Chief Whip was out of question.

Another veteran Lok Sabha member, Saugata Roy, is also facing age-related ailments and hence was not in the race for the job.

Now with Kalyan Banerjee’s resignation, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar became the automatic choice as the new permanent Chief Whip of the Trinamool.

Actress-turned-politician and party Lok Sabha member from Birbhum constituency, Satabdi Roy, who has been appointed as the new Deputy Leader of Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha, is also a four-time MP since 2009.

–IANS

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