India, Nov. 3 -- Sovan Chatterjee, former mayor of Kolkata and once a trusted aide of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, returned to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after seven years on Monday.

The homecoming of the veteran TMC leader becomes important as the crucial assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held in 2026.

"You may say that the TMC is my nerve. It is my home and family. It is like a homecoming. Mamata Banerjee is our guardian. I will shoulder the responsibilities which the party assigns to me," Chatterjee told reporters.

Speculations over Chatterjee's return to the TMC gained ground last month after he was appointed the chairperson of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) on October 17. He re...