TMC MP Yusuf Pathan called claims that Mamata Banerjee asked him to resign from Baharampur Lok Sabha seat “completely false” in a social media video. He said neither Banerjee nor any party leader conveyed such a request. Earlier, Sourav Ganguly also denied contacting Pathan on Banerjee’s behalf and urged media to avoid rumours.
TMC MP Yusuf Pathan on Saturday issued a clarification over the allegations of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee asking him to resign as MP from his Baharampur Lok Sabha seat to contest the by-election from there herself, calling the claim “completely false”.
In a self-made video on social media, Pathan said that former CM Mamata Banerjee never discussed it with him, adding that he has also never been reached out to by any party official regarding the news.
Former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, Sourav Ganguly, says, “…It was alleged that I had contacted Mr Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamta Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and had carried her message that he should step down/resign from his Constitutional post… pic.twitter.com/0RkRsRhYfo
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2026
Expressing disappointment over the “unofficial news” and the ongoing deliberation around it, he affirmed that no party leader has asked him to tender his resignation.
“For some time now, news has been going viral that Mamata Banerjee asked me to resign from my MP post from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat so that she can contest the Lok Sabha election from there. Mamata Banerjee has never told me this; even in our last meeting, she didn’t mention this. Nor has she conveyed this through any official party leader. This claim is completely false, and it saddens me that despite there being no official news, this is being discussed and debated on social media and across all media houses. So, neither Mamata Banerjee nor any party leader has asked me to resign from my MP seat,” he said.
Earlier in the day, former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, Sourav Ganguly, had denied reaching out to Pathan on Banerjee’s behalf, asking him to resign.
In a letter addressed the all media houses, Ganguly wrote, “It was alleged that I had contacted Mr Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamta Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and had carried her message that he should step down/resign from his Constitutional post as the elected representative of the aforesaid constituency in order to enable Ms Banerjee to contest the ensuing by-elections from the said constituency.”