Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to travel to New Delhi on July 27 to join the protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against the alleged NEET exam paper leak, according to party sources. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader had earlier expressed support for the movement and announced that she would participate in the demonstration.

Banerjee’s planned visit to the national capital comes after she voiced solidarity with the CJP-led protest during the Trinamool Congress’s Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata on July 21. She had said that she would join the agitation soon, though details about her role at the protest remain unclear. It is yet to be confirmed whether she will only make a brief appearance at the Jantar Mantar sit-in or take part in the demonstration for a longer period.

Along with her decision to join the protest, Banerjee announced the appointment of Saugata Roy as the deputy leader of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha. Roy, a four-time Lok Sabha MP from the Dum Dum constituency in North 24 Parganas district, will take over the position from Satabdi Roy, a four-time MP from Birbhum.

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The leadership change comes after a political shift within the party following the recent West Bengal polls. Satabdi Roy is among the Trinamool Congress parliamentarians who have reportedly moved to the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The exit of several MPs has reduced the Trinamool Congress’s representation in the Lok Sabha, with the party’s current strength reported to be eight members.

Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and three-time Lok Sabha MP from Diamond Harbour, Abhishek Banerjee, continues to serve as the Trinamool Congress leader in the Lok Sabha. The party chief’s upcoming Delhi visit may also include meetings with opposition leaders, although no official schedule has been announced.

Earlier, Banerjee had called for greater unity among opposition parties under the INDIA bloc and urged coordinated nationwide protests against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Her participation in the CJP protest is expected to further highlight the opposition’s stance on the NEET paper leak issue and increase political attention around the ongoing agitation in the national capital.

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