A storm has erupted in West Bengal politics after former Indian cricketer and outgoing Trinamool Congress MLA Manoj Tiwary alleged that he was denied a party ticket for the 2026 Assembly elections for refusing to pay Rs 5 crore.
Speaking after the electoral drubbing of the All India Trinamool Congress, Tiwary declared that his association with the party had effectively come to an end. He claimed that the denial of his candidature from Howrah’s Shibpur constituency was not an isolated decision, but part of a wider pattern where “only those who could pay hefty amounts” were accommodated. According to him, as many as 70–72 candidates allegedly paid around Rs 5 crore each to secure party tickets this election cycle.
Tiwary’s remarks come in the immediate aftermath of a sweeping defeat for the ruling party led by Mamata Banerjee, whose 15-year tenure came to an abrupt end. The former cricketer did not mince words while assessing the loss, attributing it to “corrupt practices” and a glaring absence of developmental work on the ground.
Recounting his reluctant entry into politics, Tiwary said he had initially declined an offer to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, only to be persuaded later by Banerjee to enter the 2021 Assembly race from Shibpur, a seat he went on to win. However, his tenure as an MLA and Minister of State for Sports, he alleged, was marked by systemic indifference and a lack of institutional support.
He further accused the party leadership of stifling internal democracy, describing ministerial roles as tokenistic and decision-making as overly centralised. Tiwary claimed that even basic civic issues such as drainage and sewage in his constituency remained unresolved despite repeated appeals. In a striking assertion, he said some developmental work had to be funded out of his own pocket due to bureaucratic and political roadblocks.
Addressing allegations of extortion that had surfaced during his tenure, Tiwary dismissed them outright, pointing to his substantial earnings from a long professional cricket career, including IPL stints and domestic cricket spanning two decades. He suggested these accusations were politically motivated and driven by local rivalries.
He also levelled criticism at former sports minister Aroop Biswas, accusing him of sidelining him due to insecurity and failing to implement a coherent sports policy despite budget allocations.
Now stepping away from active politics, Tiwary appears set to return to cricket in a new capacity. Having cleared his BCCI Level 2 coaching certification, he has applied for the position of head coach of the Bengal Ranji team, signalling a shift back to his sporting roots.
