Cong welcomes TMC MP Somen Mitra's resignation

Welcoming dissident Trinamool Congress MP Somen Mitra's resignation from Lok Sabha, Congress today said the party will be happy to take him back to its fold and also consider giving him a ticket to contest the general election from West Bengal.
"We welcome Somen Mitra's resignation as MP and also welcome him back to Congress. We will surely consider giving him a party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections," state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya told PTI.
Mitra, who was having a strained relationship with the Trinamool Congress leadership for the last one year, today resigned as MP of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.

In past few months, Mitra had fired several salvos against the TMC leadership and the state government.
AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed too welcomed his move and said Mitra has been the state Congress president in the past and was a respected senior leader.
"Somen Mitra is a very senior and respected leader. But, whether he will join Congress or not, will be decided by our party high command and the state Congress president," Ahmed said.
Mitra, who has been state PCC president, left the party to form his own outfit in 2007, but merged it with the Trinamool Congress in 2008 and contested from Diamond Harbour on a TMC ticket.