The Trinamul Congress will shift its headquarters to a rented building off EM Bypass in Calcutta till Trinamul Bhavan, which is undergoing renovation, is ready.

Sources said Trinamul’s new four-storey rented party office would be inaugurated on May 3 on the occasion of Akshay Tritia with agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay scheduled to don the mantle of a priest to perform the house-warming puja. Urban development minister Firhad Hakim has been asked to take care of the inaugural event.

Trinamul leaders said the party had no headquarters in Calcutta since the Trinamul Bhavan at Topsia had been demolished to make way for a new building last summer. A makeshift party office was constructed on the side of a road near the Trinamul Bhavan but it was not adequate for Bengal’s ruling party to function from there.

“We thought work to build and renovate the Trinamul Bhavan would be completed within a year but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the work. So, we planned to rent the four-storey building near the Metropolitan crossing on the EM Bypass to use it as the party’s headquarters,” said a senior Trinamul leader.

Trinamul insiders said lack of a well-furnished and spacious party office was creating logistic problems to hold big meetings with district leaders, press conferences and other political activities.

The plan to get a new building temporarily was finalised after the party won the Assembly polls by defeating the BJP last year. A state-of-the-art party office was required as Trinamul has decided to expand beyond Bengal and project itself as the main rival to the BJP in the country.

“The party has grown and we are trying to expand organisation in all BJP-ruled states. Calcutta is the party’s headquarters and we need a good office. Several leaders from other states, along with districts in Bengal, come to meet leaders. This requires an office,” said another Trinamul leader.

Sources said the four-storey new headquarters of Trinamul would have several rooms for senior leaders, meeting rooms, space for press conferences and confidential meetings. The sources said the inauguration of the party office would involve pujas of several deities that would be performed by Sobhandeb, who does the annual Saraswati Puja at Trinamul Bhavan.

“All details about the party office would be revealed during its inauguration on Akshay Tritia,” Sobhandeb said.