Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has announced that he has quit the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), just a day after the party suffered defeat in the West Bengal state assembly elections. Tiwary, a former junior sports minister in the state, alleged that he was denied a ticket for Shibpur in Howrah after he refused to pay INR 5 crore. The TMC’s loss on Monday brought an end to its 15-year hold on power in West Bengal, with the BJP emerging victorious.
Key takeaways
- Manoj Tiwary said he has stepped away from the TMC a day after the party lost the West Bengal assembly elections.
- Tiwary claimed he was refused a ticket for Howrah’s Shibpur constituency after he declined to pay INR 5 crore.
- He cited alleged internal corruption as a major reason behind the BJP’s rise in the state.
- Tiwary said he has no intention of entering politics, despite earlier offers connected to TMC.
- He also made allegations against outgoing sports minister Aroop Biswas and mentioned Biswas lost to BJP candidate Papia Adhikary by 6,000 votes.
Exit from TMC and accusations over ticketing
Tiwary’s announcement came after TMC went out of power on Monday, following a loss to the BJP in the West Bengal elections. The result ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state.
In sharp comments, the 40-year-old former batter said he was not surprised by TMC’s defeat. He argued that such an outcome was inevitable when a party, in his view, indulges in corrupt practices and fails to deliver development across sectors.
He also alleged that ticket allocation was effectively tied to money. Tiwary said that candidates who could pay large sums were the ones who secured nominations, adding that around 70 to 72 hopefuls reportedly paid roughly ₹5 crore to get a ticket. He maintained that he was asked but refused, and challenged the party’s record by questioning how many of the candidates who paid were able to win. For him personally, he said, “that chapter is over.”
Why he entered politics, and his stance now
Tiwary further said he had no plans to return to politics. He claimed his first major political opportunity came in 2019 when the TMC offered him a Lok Sabha ticket. He said he eventually contested and won the Shibpur seat in the 2021 assembly elections.
Recalling the timeline, Tiwary said that at the time of the earlier offer, he was still playing IPL cricket for Punjab Kings and was also focused on Ranji Trophy. He said he declined the invitation politely, but before the 2021 elections, Mamata Banerjee again contacted him with a message delivered through Aroop. Tiwary said he was asked to contest from Shibpur and believed he could bring about meaningful change.
Claims around the Messi event and allegations against Aroop Biswas
Tiwary also spoke about what he described as a major embarrassment for Kolkata earlier this year: the Lionel Messi event at Salt Lake Stadium. He said the occasion was badly managed, leading to chaos at the venue and prompting Messi to leave ahead of schedule. After the Argentine superstar departed, he noted that fans turned to vandalism, breaking chairs and other stadium fixtures.
Beyond the Messi fiasco, Tiwary made serious claims regarding outgoing sports minister Aroop Biswas. He alleged that Biswas lacked knowledge of sports and said he was often not included in official arrangements despite being invited to functions.
He said there were events where he and Biswas were both present, but he was excluded from the dais. Tiwary also pointed to the Durand Cup, saying that his photographs were shown on sports pages during one unveiling, yet in the next edition he did not receive any invitation. He asserted that he expected such an outcome and therefore chose not to attend the Messi-related event, saying he did not want to be part of an exercise where common people were treated unfairly.
Tiwary added that he repeatedly requested Biswas to introduce a sports policy aligned with the allocated budget, but he said Biswas never acted on those requests.
In his final remarks on Biswas, Tiwary said the outgoing minister lost to BJP candidate Papia Adhikary by 6,000 votes.
