Ganguly Denies Being Mamata’s Messenger, Calls Seat-Swap Report ‘Reckless Falsehood’
Former India captain issues signed statement rejecting claims he asked TMC MP Yusuf Pathan to vacate Baharampur Lok Sabha seat for a beleaguered Mamata Banerjee
By NewsArc Bureau
Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly stepped into the middle of West Bengal’s turbulent post-election politics on Saturday, issuing a sharp signed statement to media organisations categorically denying that he had acted as an intermediary between TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan.
The controversy was triggered by a front-page report in the Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika on June 4, which claimed that Ganguly had been approached to convey a message to Pathan — that the former cricketer-turned-politician should vacate his Lok Sabha seat to make way for Banerjee.
Ganguly moved swiftly to kill the story. In a statement issued on June 6, he said the allegations, “in so far as they concern me, are in reckless disregard of the truth,” and lashed out at the media for “falling prey to rumours.”
Ganguly also stressed that he had remained away from political affairs throughout his public life, stating that he had “never been involved in political matters at any stage with anyone concerned.” He urged journalists and media houses not to publish or broadcast claims without verifying the facts.
The report had also alleged that Pathan had refused to comply with any such request. Ganguly pointedly noted that the newspaper had claimed Pathan had refused to vacate Baharampur, reiterating that he had neither asked the TMC leader to vacate the seat, nor was he acting on Mamata Banerjee’s instructions.
The denial comes at a politically fraught moment for the TMC. The party was reduced to 80 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly in the 2026 elections, and Banerjee herself lost her constituency to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is now Chief Minister. With Banerjee currently outside the legislature, speculation has intensified about her need to find a route back into elected office.
Pathan had won the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections on a TMC ticket, defeating two-time Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by a margin of 85,022 votes, having received 5,24,516 votes to Chowdhury’s 4,39,494.
Neither Pathan nor the TMC leadership has issued any official response to the report or the subsequent controversy.
PULL QUOTE: “The allegations, in so far as they concern me, are in reckless disregard of the truth.” — Sourav Ganguly, in his signed statement to media organisations, June 6, 2026
