Trinamool gave a big vote of confidence to Banerjee’s nephew

After weeks of internal fighting, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee received a key vote of confidence from the Trinamool chief on Friday, reaffirming his hold on the party's No. 2 position.

Mr. Banerjee's reappointment as the party's All India General Secretary came after Mamata Banerjee convened a meeting of the newly reconstituted National Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body in West Bengal.

The meeting took place at Ms. Banerjee's home in Kolkata, just days after the party won municipal elections in four major cities despite reports of internal strife.

Apart from endorsing Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool chairman also approved the hiring of Congress defectors Sushmita Dev and Mukul Sangma to oversee the party's northeastern divisions.

Senior Trinamool stalwarts Subrata Bakshi and Chandrima Bhattacharya, as well as a veteran politician and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, were named Vice Presidents.

Aroop Biswas, a Bengal minister, has been nominated treasurer, with Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim in charge of coordination.

Following an internal schism between supporters of Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew and heir-apparent, and her loyalists, committee members were changed last week. The groups argued over the 'one man, one post' policy, which has irritated the latter because many in the ruling class hold numerous positions.

The selection of office-bearers and their designations were among the first topics on the agenda of the new committee's inaugural meeting.

Mr. Banerjee was the National General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress, a position he had held since June of last year, following the party's statement victory over the BJP in the Bengal Assembly election.

On Saturday, the entire committee was disbanded, including all positions.

After the reorganization, the great question was whether Abhishek Banerjee would return to the top job.

Mamata Banerjee reasserted her influence over party affairs by stacking the National Working Committee with veteran stalwarts solidly in her favor, including Mr. Banerjee.

Many interpreted the shift as a result of rumors of friction between Ms. Banerjee and her nephew, who serves as the party's second-in-command. However, it has been interpreted as a ploy by the Chief Minister to avert a civil war at a time when she is prepared to strengthen her national ambitions.

Prashant Kishor's political consulting firm, I-PAC, was caught in the crossfire. Last week, a squabble developed after party leader Chandrima Bhattacharya claimed I-PAC had "misused" her social media accounts, an allegation quickly refuted by the organization.

According to I-PAC insiders, there is no schism with the Chief Minister.

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