The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has been ongoing, and recently, the Assembly Elections results from five states were released last night, among which West Bengal was also there, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed its new government, removing the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). After the results, former India cricketer and TMC MLA Manoj Tiwary on Tuesday said the “TMC chapter is over” for him.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricketer was denied a ticket from Howrah’s Shibpur constituency for refusing to pay INR 5 crore to the former ruling party in West Bengal. He was a Minister of State for Sports in the government led by Mamata Banerjee, previously. While speaking with PTI, Manoj Tiwary exposed TMC’s bribery openly.
I am not at all surprised- Manoj Tiwary
“Look, I am not at all surprised by this debacle. This was bound to happen when an entire party indulged in corrupt practices and there was no development in any sector,” Tiwary told PTI in an interview.
“Only those who could pay hefty amounts could buy tickets. At least 70-72 candidates this time paid around Rs 5 crore to get a ticket. I was asked, but I refused to pay. Just check how many of those who paid up have managed to win. As far as TMC is concerned, that chapter is over for me,” he declared.
I had politely declined- Manoj Tiwary
Tiwary stated that he had no intention of entering politics, despite being offered a Lok Sabha seat by the TMC in 2019. He eventually contested and won from Shibpur in the 2021 Assembly election. “At that time, I had played for Punjab Kings in the IPL and was still playing Ranji Trophy seriously when Didi (Mamata) wanted me to contest the Lok Sabha.”
“I had politely declined, but before the 2021 elections, Didi once again called and told me, ‘Manoj, I have a message for you and Aroop will tell you.’ I was asked to contest from Shibpur, and I thought that I could make a meaningful change,” Tiwary recalled
TMC ministers were summoned- Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary also alleged that the previous ruling party lacks internal democracy, and his appeals of the longstanding issue of failing sewage and drainage systems in the Howrah district were not addressed.
“I have attended meetings where all TMC ministers were summoned. I was given a lollipop called MoS, which basically meant nothing. If I stood up and said, ‘Didi, I want to draw your attention to a certain problem,’ she would just stop us midway and say, ‘I don’t have time for you people.'”
“Being a sitting MLA, I would run from pillar to post for drainage work in my constituency, but people who controlled Howrah Municipality for years without allowing elections to happen never cared.
“They would simply stall developmental work, which is very basic. I can tell you that some of the work I got done was not just from the MLA fund, but I also paid from my own pocket to complete projects.”
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