 "Abhishek Banerjee")
It was in mid-February this year, a few days ahead of her visit to the national capital, that Mamata Banerjee got her treadmill and other belongings shifted from 181, South Avenue in Delhi to neighbouring 183 South Avenue.
The residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha member Mukul Roy numbered is 181 and 183 is of chief minister's nephew and TMC Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee. On that day, along with Mamata's belongings, the coveted post of 'second-in-command' in TMC also changed. Roy's fall coincided with Abhishek's rise from being the party's only prominent face from Mamata's immediate family to the political heir of West Bengal chief minister.
Abhishek, who is now the most visible TMC leader attending party meetings, rallies across the West Bengal, stirred a new controversy by saying those who challenge the TMC administration would have their eyes gouged out and their hands chopped off.
He is not the lone loud mouth in his party. His colleagues such as Tapas Pal had earlier threatened to let loose rapists among political rivals' wives and sisters to teach them a lesson. However, the 28-year-old Abhishek, son of Mamata's elder brother Amit, hardly bears any resemblance to Pishi (paternal aunt)'s brand of ma mati manush politics.
Much before being elected as a member of Parliament (MP) from Diamond Harbour constituency in South 24 Paraganas in 2014, Abhishek had hit national headlines with his lavish wedding in Delhi in 2012. He tied the knot with Jasmeet Ahuja, whom he met while doing his graduation in management at the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) in Delhi after passing out from MP Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School in Kolkata. In 2009, he did his MBA from IIPM, an institute, which, along with its mascot Arindam Chaudhary, has been in the news for reasons that might not make Abhishek proud as an alumnus.
Abhishek's engagement party at Le Meridien followed by a marriage ceremony at a south Delhi gurudwara and a reception party at Grand Hotel in Vasant Kunj. All of these were in stark contrast to his aunt's long-practised austerity. However, Mamata has always had a soft corner for Anhishek. In 2011, the TMC supremo had allowed a rather significant aberration from her long-observed practice of not allowing family members to hold key posts in the party. She created a new platform in the form of an NGO - the All India Trinamool Yuva - with Abhishek at the helm.
That was the starting point of Abhishek's political journey and his interest in business took a back seat. Leaps & Bounds, a company which he founded, did not grow by leaps and bounds. It also became a cause of worry as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged financial irregularities against the firm in 2013. The company's website is no more available.
Abhishek became a regular at the TMC headquarters by the end of 2010. Since the 2011 Assembly election campaign, he has been in charge of handling the party's social networking sites along with party MP Derek O'Brien.
Subrata Mukherjee might officially get the position of All India general-secretary, which was earlier held by Roy. However, insiders say it is Trinamool Youth Congress national president Abhishek who will call the shots. Abhishek's brief introduction on the party website says that his leadership is focused on "making leaders out of the youth, who may lead Bengal politics in future."
