Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who had taken a hiatus from the party organisation on account of a medical issue, returned to Calcutta on Friday morning, two days before the Martyrs’ Day event.

His return raised hopes among party leaders and workers about his presence at the dais on Martyrs’ Day — the most important event in the TMC’s calendar — amid murmurs that the No. 2 in the ruling dispensation might not be physically present.

“He returned this morning and will physically be available at the July 21 rally. He will also deliver his speech as in the past years,” said a source close to Abhishek’s office.

Party workers from north Bengal districts such as Cooch Behar, Malda, Jalpaiguri and Purulia have already started coming to the city from Friday morning. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said winning 29 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and bagging all six seats in the recently held bypolls would be dedicated to the martyrs at the Sunday rally in front of Victoria House.

On June 12, Abhishek had announced on social media that he was taking a short hiatus from the party organisation on medical grounds, claiming that it would give him a better window to understand people’s needs.

After taking his oath as the Diamond Harbour MP on June 25, Abhishek had flown to the US and was abroad till his return.

His short leave from the organisation had fuelled speculation of a rift between him and his aunt Mamata among party workers.

Though no Trinamul leader commented on Abhishek’s announcement, the ruling dispensation suddenly witnessed party state president Subrata Bakshi’s office being activated in organising the Martyrs’ Day event. Bakshi and other senior leaders met party workers coming from faraway districts at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Friday afternoon. Senior police officers headed by Calcutta police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal examined the security arrangement.

Multiple Trinamul leaders in both Calcutta and the districts said Abhishek’s office had since 2021 played a key role in organising the event along with I-PAC, which entered the Bengal political scene after the BJP won 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections.

They noted a sharp contrast in organising the event between this year and last year, with the absence of monitoring by Abhishek’s office being prominent at every point.

“Last year, Abhishek’s office had decided who would be present on the dais. We had collected our cards from his office as well. This year, everything was done by the office of Bakshi,” a Trinamul leader in Calcutta said.

“Last year, the office of Abhishek Banerjee and I-PAC was continuously in touch with us. Before we started from our district, we knew about our accommodation and arrangements to reach the place from the railway station. Everything was in order. This year, we have to call a senior leader in Calcutta to know where we can stay,” said a Trinamul leader from Purulia.

Last year, Abhishek gave each block a target to bring party workers and supporters to Calcutta.

“This time, we have no target. The district leaders have been given the responsibility of managing everything. Once we reach Calcutta, we can understand the management,” said a Trinamul leader in Birbhum.

TMC leaders, however, did not comment on the issue of Bakshi’s office organising the event instead of Abhishek’s.

“Lakhs of people will be at the July 21 rally and it will break all records this year. People will pay tribute to our martyrs under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and the commandership of Abhishek Banerjee. I will not comment on any internal organisational matter,” said Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh.