Former Union Minister And TMC-Turned-BJP Leader Dinesh Trivedi Appointed Bangladesh High Commissioner

New Delhi: Former Union minister Dinesh Trivedi, who defected from the TMC to join the BJP in 2021, has been appointed India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, sources told ETV Bharat.

Trivedi, who served as the railway minister, and minister of state for health and family welfare, left the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC in 2021 to join the saffron party. He served as an MP from West Bengal's Barrackpore.

The out-of-the-way move by the Centre to appoint a politician from West Bengal as Bangladesh High Commissioner is seen as tactical given the recent strain in the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh. Usually, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers are appointed to such posts.

Trivedi's appointment also comes ahead of the two-phase West Bengal election 2026 on April 23 and 29.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling and National Spokesperson, Raju Bista congratulated Trivedi's appointment as the next Ambassador of India to Bangladesh while calling him a "seasoned leader, with rich experience as Union Minister for Railways and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare".

"...His appointment comes at a crucial moment when India and Bangladesh are actively working to repair and strengthen our bilateral relationship. Wishing you the very best in this important diplomatic assignment, Trivedi ji. May your tenure further deepen the ties of friendship, cooperation, and mutual prosperity between our two nations," Bista wrote in a post on X.

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