Mamata Banerjee amid internal dissent after Bengal poll debacle
Trinamool Congress The worst electoral shock in years, the party chief Mamata Banerjee Saturday told leaders unhappy with the situation that they were free to leave amid internal disagreements.In a meeting with the party’s candidates contesting the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, held at her Kalighat residence and attended by party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata struck a defiant note despite the crushing defeat, news agency PTI reported.“Those who are defecting to other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party,” he quoted party sources as saying in a message aimed at quelling speculation of defections after the poll defeat.He asked loyalists to start restoring damaged party offices across the state and reconnect with workers at the grassroots. “To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If necessary, I will also paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People’s mandate has been looted,” he said.The comments came amid growing reports of internal discontent in the TMC after a dramatic election reverse pushed the party from power to the opposition bench.Out of 294 assembly seats, TMC won only 80. Mamata herself lost from Bhavanipur, which was long considered her stronghold. The party contested 291 seats, including three in the Darjeeling hills allied to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantric Morcha led by Aneet Thapa, but won only 80 of its candidates.Saturday’s closed-door meeting was called amid signs of unrest among defeated candidates and whispers of leaders switching sides after defeats. Mamata hinted at such a possibility after the results were announced.“I know many will move to other parties. They may have their own obligations. Anyone who wants to go can go. I don’t believe in forcing anyone to stay,” he said on May 5.The TMC later shared photos of the meeting at X, projecting a show of unity and praising its candidates for what it called a spirited fight despite “atrocities and intimidation” during the election campaign.
