Mamata Banerjee and the TMC’s Crisis


In a shocking turn of events, West Bengal’s long‑ruled party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), is unraveling in the weeks after its electoral defeat, leaving the 71‑year‑old chief minister Mamata Banerjee to confront a deep‑seated rebellion.


The BJP’s massive sweep in the 2026 assembly election ended the TMC’s 15‑year reign, yet the opposition still enjoys a sizeable share of votes and a large parliamentary group. The real crisis, however, is not the loss of power but the internal collapse of the party’s leadership structure.


Within a month, roughly 75 per cent of the TMC’s sitting legislators turned against Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, taking control of the party’s legislative wing, installing a rival opposition chief, and accusing the leadership of forging signatures on official documents. A wave of defections has now crossed the state‑border: about twenty of the 28 TMC MPs have petitioned the Union Parliament speaker to leave the party block and join the BJP‑led coalition.


The upheaval extends beyond numbers. Local powerbrokers once loyal to Banerjee’s patronage network now feel exposed; investigative probes, public backlash, and the absence of state-sponsored machinery create strong incentives to defect. The TMC’s survival now hinges on a party that was built on a single charismatic leader and the state’s resources—a formula that crumbles when both pillars weaken.



  • Before 2011, the TMC was part of a broad front that toppled 34 years of Communist rule, earning Banerjee international recognition.

  • After the BJP’s victory, the party still gathered 40% of the popular vote and holds 80 assembly seats, but it faces a 27‑member split in the national parliament.

  • Political scientist Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya notes that the party’s rapid unraveling reflects a deeper weakness: an absence of ideological infrastructure to survive beyond the leader’s tenure.

  • Scholars argue that the BJP’s dominance has turned regional parties into family‑centric, highly centralised units, where loyalty to a founder can quickly turn into a rebellion if succession is forced through a kinship line.

  • Banerjee dismisses the rebellion as opportunism, calling the BJP’s win “illegal and immoral,” and vows a party “rebuild” from its grassroots.


If the re‑aligned MPs hold out, the TMC faces a tangible split that could fragment the party into factions. Conversely, a resurgence led by a former communist who defected to the TMC and has remained in the party’s main ranks might prevent a full collapse. The outcome will ultimately depend on whether Banerjee can shift from being a charismatic pillar to institutionalising a resilient party structure.


For now, the TMC remains in a precarious state; while Banerjee’s determination points to a possible revival, the party’s future will require more than personal charisma—its core institutions must be strengthened for the party to withstand the test of time and political shifts.


– Reported by BBC News, updated for RTWnews.com