New Delhi: Ten months after joining the Trinamool Congress, Pavan K. Varma announced on Twitter on August 12 that he is resigning from the party.A former veteran of the Janata Dal (United), Varma’s exit from the party he joined in November 2021 has led to speculation that he could be rejoining the Nitish Kumar-led party.Dear @MamataOfficial ji, Please accept my resignation from the @AITCofficial. I want to thank you for the warm welcome accorded to me, and for your affection and courtesies. I look forward to remaining in touch. Wishing you all the best, and with warm regards, Pavan K. Varma— Pavan K. Varma (@PavanK_Varma) August 12, 2022Addressing Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister and TMC’s chief, Varma wrote, “I want to thank you for the warm welcome accorded to me, and for your affection and courtesies. I look forward to remaining in touch.”Days ago, Kumar broke away from the National Democratic Alliance – where JD(U)’s presence was believed to have been a bone of contention between the two leaders.In January 2020, Varma – then JD(U)’s national general secretary – was expelled from the party over his open criticism of Nitish Kumar’s support for the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.In the expulsion letter, party’s chief general secretary K.C. Tyagi had accused Varma and poll strategist Prashant Kishor of violating party discipline and its decision.Tyagi had written in the letter then that Kumar had given more respect to Varma than he deserves. “Instead of respecting the honour he got from the party and submitting himself to it, he deluded himself into thinking that the party had no choice,” he wrote.Varma had been an MP until July 2016.
