Suspended MLA Kabir Retains Seat on TMC Benches in Assembly

MP, 4 FEB 2026, KOLKATA: Speculation over Humayun Kabir’s seating arrangement in the Assembly was put to rest on the opening day of the budget session, when the Bharatpur MLA was seen occupying his old seat alongside Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators in the state Assembly on Tuesday, despite being suspended from the party and subsequently floating a new political outfit.

Kabir, who launched the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) in December after being suspended from the TMC, took his designated seat on the ruling party benches. Ketugram MLA Shah Nawaz Khan was seated to his right, while Mandirbazar MLA Joydeb Halder occupied the seat to his left—both TMC legislators.

Responding to queries, Kabir said he would sit wherever the Speaker had assigned him a seat as a member of the House. “As an Assembly member, I will sit in the seat that the Speaker has allotted to me,” he stated.

Kabir also set a tentative timeline for clarifying his political position. He indicated that the situation should become clear by February 15 and added that, if a few more days were required, everything would be clarified by February 20.

Speaker Biman Banerjee had earlier stated that Kabir would be shifted to a neutral seat only if he resigned from the Assembly or if a formal request was made by the TMC legislative party seeking his removal from the ruling benches. Since Kabir has neither resigned nor has any such request been made, he continues to occupy seat number 209 in Block 6 in accordance with Assembly rules.

Kabir’s rift with TMC leadership deepened late last year after he publicly announced plans to construct a Babri Masjid in Beldanga in Murshidabad and began raising funds for the project. He was suspended from the party on December 4 for six years on charges of indiscipline. Kabir formally announced his new party, the Janata Unnayan Party, on December 22.