Manoj Tiwary Quits TMC, Levels “₹5 Crore Ticket” Corruption Allegations After BJP’s Bengal Election Win

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary on Wednesday announced his exit from politics in a scathing exit from the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). His resignation comes a day after the Mamata Banerjee-led party was voted out of power in the West Bengal State Assembly elections, ending its 15-year tenure in the state.

Allegations of Systemic Corruption

Tiwary, who was the junior sports minister, did not mince words in his assessment of the reason why the party lost to the BJP. He blamed the downfall of the party on the widespread corrupt practices and the lack of any genuine development.

“Look, I am not at all surprised by this debacle. This was bound to happen when an entire party has indulged in corrupt practices, and there was no development in any sector,” Tiwary told news agency PTI.

The most shocking aspect was distribution of election tickets. The 40-year-old alleged that he was denied a ticket from Shibpur in Howrah, his constituency, for not paying a huge bribe.

“Only those who could pay hefty money could buy tickets. At least 70-72 candidates this time paid around ₹five 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 added.

Strained Ties and Sporting Mismanagement

Tiwary’s political journey began in 2021 when he won the Shibpur seat, though he recalled being hesitant to enter politics initially. “At that time, I had played for Punjab Kings in the IPL and was still playing Ranji Trophy seriously when Didi (Mamata Banerjee) wanted me to contest the Lok Sabha [in 2019]. I had politely declined,” he noted.

But his stint in the ministry was marred by friction with the outgoing minister of sports Aroop Biswas, who lost to BJP’s Papia Adhikary by a margin of 6,000 votes. Tiwary alleged that Biswas lacked basic knowledge of sports and actively sidelined him.

“Aroop Da doesn’t know A, B, C, D of any sport. There would be functions where both Aroop da and I would be invited, and I would not be called on the dais,” Tiwary revealed.

Lionel Messi Event Fiasco

He also spoke about the recent chaos during Lionel Messi’s visit to the Salt Lake Stadium, an event that ended in a riot after poor management forced the Argentine star to leave early. Tiwary said he had missed the event so would not be connected to the tragedy.

“I knew something like this would happen and refrained from attending the event (Lionel Messi). I didn’t want to be part of an event where common people were taken for a ride. I would repeatedly ask Aroop da, ‘Dada please introduce a sports policy as per allocated budget’. He never bothered,” Tiwary concluded.