The president of the Congress’ Tripura unit, Pijush Kanti Biswas, announced on Saturday that he has resigned from his post and has quit politics.

“With sincere gratitude I thank all Congress Leaders, supporters for your cooperation during my tenure as TPCC President (acting),” Biswas said in a tweet. “Today I have resigned from the post of President and retired from politics as well. My sincere gratitude towards Hon’ble CP Smt. Sonia Gandhiji.”

Biswas is now likely to switch to the Trinamool Congress, NDTV quoted sources as saying.

Biswas’ resignation came days after a prominent Congress leader from Assam, Sushmita Dev, left the party and joined the Trinamool Congress.

On Saturday, Dev responded to Biswas’ announcement on Twitter by saying that his tenure was a tough one, and wished him luck for the future.

Biswas had been the acting president of the Tripura Congress for the past two years.

A report by East Mojo quoted sources as saying that he wanted to forge an alliance with the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections, but did not get the approval of the party’s central leadership. The Tripura Assembly election is expected to be held in 2023.

In the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council held in April, TIPRA emerged victorious, winning 18 out of 28 seats.

Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, who now heads TIPRA, was the Congress’ Tripura chief before Biswas.

On Saturday, Debbarman said that he was “surprised but not shocked” by Biswas’ decision to leave the Congress. “I wish him the very best nevertheless,” he said.