Arrested on bypoll day, teary-eyed Humayun Kabir says he will quit politics

Humayun Kabir’s 24-hour political rollercoaster began with a clash with police on polling day in West Bengal’s Rejinagar and ended with him announcing his retirement from politics. The Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief had accused the police of interfering in the bypoll, where his son Golam Nabi Azad was contesting after Kabir gave up the Rejinagar seat, having also won from Nowda in the April Assembly elections. Kabir was arrested and released later that evening. A day later, he announced that he was quitting politics. Kabir, a significant face in Bengal’s minority politics, said he would not attend the state Assembly as long as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari remained in office, and apologised to the people of Naoda for his decision."

If Suvendu Adhikari remains the chief minister, I will not go to the assembly. I will seek forgiveness from the people of Naoda," Kabir said, fighting back tears. In an appearance before the local media, Kabir broke down in tears and apologised to the people of Rejinagar. Choking back emotion, he said he had failed to honour the mandate they had given him five months earlier and predicted that the BJP would win the Muslim-majority Murshidabad constituency. Kabir said he could not accept what he described as “so much injustice” or compromise with it.

He said he had consistently opposed the “injustices of the Left” and had also criticised the “wrongdoings” of the Trinamool Congress while being part of Mamata Banerjee’s party, for which he claimed to have faced disciplinary action four times, including one expulsion and one suspension. He said his decision to quit politics would be finalised after the election process was over. “As soon as the election process is complete, I will call a meeting in Naoda and apologise to the people -- the people of Naoda -- and retire from politics at the age of 64,” he said. Kabir also said he would leave the decision on his political future to the people of Naoda.

If 60% of those attending a meeting he called -- whether 1,000 people or 10,000 -- told him he should step down if he no longer wished to continue, he said he would resign as the Naoda MLA.“ I give you this assurance,” Kabir said. His political career, he pointed out, had already seen three MLA resignations. He said he first resigned as a Congress MLA on November 20, 2012, after 18 months, followed by his resignation as a Trinamool MLA on March 30, 2026, and then as the Rejinagar MLA of the Aam Janata Vikas Party on May 15, 2026.

In barely 24 hours, Kabir had gone from an animated confrontation with police on polling day to tears, an apology and a declaration that he wanted to walk away from politics.- Ends