The Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is grappling with its most severe internal crisis since its inception in 1998, following a significant defeat in recent assembly elections. The party is witnessing mass resignations, open dissent from senior leaders, and growing speculation about further defections.
Mass Resignations Hit Municipal Bodies
In the aftermath of the election results, nearly 100 municipal councillors across West Bengal have resigned. This wave of departures accelerated after the new state government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, announced a scrutiny of local bodies' functioning under the previous administration.
Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul confirmed that administrators are already being appointed in municipalities where councillors have stepped down or ceased attending work. Areas like North 24 Parganas and surrounding industrial regions are particularly affected. For instance, Bhatpara saw 30 out of 35 councillors, including chairperson Reba Raha, resign. Halisahar recorded 16 of its 23 councillors leaving, while 14 councillors resigned in Kanchrapara.
Debajyoti Ghosh, Bhatpara's vice-chairperson, stated he had no alternative but to resign, citing unpaid employee salaries and a perceived failure of guidance from the TMC leadership. The crisis is compounded by a series of arrests of TMC-linked councillors on charges of corruption and extortion.
Turmoil Reaches Kolkata Municipal Corporation
The unrest has also spread to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), a crucial power base for the TMC. Tensions escalated after demolition notices were reportedly issued to 17 properties allegedly linked to TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The BJP subsequently released a list of 43 properties purportedly connected to him, intensifying scrutiny.
Reports suggest Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has expressed a desire to resign. On May 22, TMC councillors, including Hakim, held a House session outside the main chamber, alleging it was locked despite directives from the chairperson. Hakim condemned the incident as a "serious insult" to elected representatives.
Dissent Among Senior Leaders and MP's Actions
Signs of discontent extend beyond municipal politics. Reportedly, only 36 of the TMC's 80 MLAs attended a major party-organized protest against alleged post-poll violence and bulldozer actions by the BJP government. Further unease emerged when Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned as president of the party's Barasat organizational district unit.
Days after her resignation, Dastidar attended an administrative meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, fueling widespread speculation about potential political realignments. She has publicly criticized the party's operations since the election defeat, blaming political consultancy firm I-PAC in her resignation letter for having "ruined" the party. Dastidar also urged TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to "take charge, leader."
The party is also reportedly struggling to identify a candidate for the upcoming Nandigram bypoll, with at least two leaders reportedly declining to contest.