Politics, it seems, has a wicked sense of humour. Just months after campaigning against Mamata Banerjee and calling for the downfall of her government, expelled Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Humayun Kabir has offered her a possible route back into the West Bengal Assembly.

Kabir, now chief of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), said he is willing to vacate the Rejinagar Assembly seat in Murshidabad district if Banerjee wishes to contest from there.

The offer comes after the former TMC leader won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Since he can retain only one seat, a bypoll is expected in the constituency he eventually gives up.

Speaking to reporters, Kabir said Banerjee would struggle to win from Nandigram but could comfortably enter the Assembly through Rejinagar.

He added that he was prepared to resign and ensure her victory if she chose to contest from his constituency.

The proposal carries political significance as Banerjee currently remains outside the Assembly and must win a by-election to return to the House.

Her political future has been the subject of intense debate following the TMC’s electoral defeat, which has triggered internal unrest and renewed challenges to the party's leadership.

What makes Kabir’s offer particularly striking is his recent history with the TMC. Once among the party’s most prominent Muslim faces in Murshidabad, he was expelled after a prolonged standoff with the leadership.

He subsequently launched the AJUP and emerged as one of the Mamata Banerjee government's fiercest critics, repeatedly demanding its removal from power.

Known for courting controversy, including a pledge to build a replica of the Babri Masjid in Bengal, Kabir spent much of the past year attacking the TMC. His latest remarks, therefore, mark a dramatic political reversal.

Whether Banerjee takes up the offer remains uncertain. But in Bengal's ever-unpredictable political theatre, a former rebel now offering to pave her way back into the Assembly may be the latest reminder that there are no permanent rivals, only shifting equations.