Trinamool sacks Mukul Roy as general secretary

The Trinamool Congress Saturday sacked Mukul Roy - once party supremo Mamata Banerjee's second-in-command - as its national general secretary.

Banerjee's close aide Subrata Bakshi, who was appointed national general secretary a few days back, will be the only one to hold the post.

"Subrata Bakshi has been appointed as the national general secretary," Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee announced after the party's working committee meeting at Banerjee's residence here.

"There is only one general secretary - Subrata Bakshi," replied Chatterjee to media queries about Roy's fate.

Bakshi has also been entrusted with the responsibility of representing the party at the Election Commission.

"All matters relating to the EC will be handled by Bakshi. He will represent the party at the EC," senior party leader and state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said.

Former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi and Sultan Ahmed have been made national vice presidents, while MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Subhendu Adhikari, Rajya Sabha chief whip Derek O'Brien, and state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim have been made national joint secretaries.

The development comes a day after Roy - a former union minister - was replaced as the leader of Trinamool in the Rajya Sabha by Derek O'Brien.