By MANISH ANAND
Mamata Banerjee’s TMC faces mounting challenges as defections, internal dissent, and BJP pressure under Suvendu Adhikari reshape West Bengal’s political landscape.
New Delhi, June 1, 2026 — Within a few days, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is presenting an air of disarray. TMC leaders are deserting the TMC. Sixty MLAs didn’t turn up for a legislative party meeting. Two TMC MLAs have claimed that their signatures had been forged. Mamata Banerjee now evidently faces an existential crisis.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Suvendu Adhikari leading the charge is now in an unassailable position. With his deep contacts within the TMC, Adhikari is arguably in a position to splinter the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit.
As Adhikari orders probe in the implementation of key welfare schemes by the previous government, he is seen creating a sense of unease in the ranks of the TMC. Fear of facing the consequences of probe may also haunt the TMC leaders.
Besides, the BJP too had seen desertion from its ranks in West Bengal after the 2021 Assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee had retained power with a massive victory in the state polls. The BJP witnessed party’s MLAs and even MPs deserting to join the TMC in the aftermath of the poll verdict.
Explaining the exodus, a senior BJP leader had then told The Raisina Hills: “The party in power in West Bengal has advantages in triggering exodus from the Opposition. The reason is simple. The politicians who have local business interests will want to protect their enterprises. Being with the ruling party helps them from escaping pain, which in West Bengal could be many.”
Adhikari on Monday said that he’s in receipts of complaints from the TMC MLAs who have alleged forgeries in their signatures. He also announced probe in some of the welfare schemes.
Unlike other states, West Bengal politics has a bottom line — whoever controls the street, rules the state. Now, the BJP is in control of the street. The TMC leaders have claimed that they have been attacked while they visited the party workers. Lok Sabha MP of the TMC Abhishek Banerjee also came under an attack. Subsequently, Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee also alleged that he was attacked.
Mamata Banerjee had already been facing muted disaffection in the TMC ranks for promoting Abhishek Banerjee. Adhikari himself had been miffed at the promotion of Abhishek Banerjee before he eventually quit the TMC in 2020.
Additional challenge for Mamata Banerjee comes in the form of pitfalls of running an individual-centric party. This was true for the Biju Janata Dal also. After the BJD lost Assembly elections in Odisha, there has been a steady exodus of party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MPs. They have been joining the BJP.
Having lost the street power, Mamata Banerjee may face a daunting task in keeping the TMC workers away from poaching by the BJP. In the absence of power in the state, the TMC workers may also drift away in the coming months to further compound the challenges for the former Chief Minister of West Bengal.
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