Last updated:
Trinamool Congress is not collapsing overnight. But, for the first time since its birth, the party looks insecure not only because of the opposition but also because of itself.
Despite Mamata Banerjee’s repeated national ambitions and other expansion plans, TMC never really developed into a sustainable national force. (AFP)
The public spat between senior Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Kalyan Banerjee, followed by Dastidar’s open disagreement, once again highlights the contradiction that has long defined Trinamool Congress From within. Since its inception, the party has been driven less by ideological cohesion and more by convenience, patronage networks, corruption, money, changing power equations and a strong culture of sycophancy around the leadership.
What began as a regional movement against the Left has gradually evolved into a political ecosystem where loyalties are largely based on give-and-take, factions survive on access to influence, and internal rivalries inevitably erupt whenever the balance of power begins to shift.
Every time Trinamool leaders sensed a downturn for the party, whether after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections or ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, many chose defection over loyalty, and instead turned to the perceived centers of power and political survival. And, after the first and crushing defeat, now the leaders and cadres seem to be disappearing rapidly instead of staying with their leader.
Read this also 10 days, 16 big steps: How Suvendu Adhikari is dismantling Mamata’s legacy, one decision at a time
Now, with insiders revealing that at least 11 more senior leaders, including four MPs and three former ministers, are considering exit options, it seems the party is facing its deepest internal crisis since its inception.
Power, terror and fragmentation
The factionalism within the Trinamool Congress has been repeatedly exposed in public, especially during times of political tension. From Saugata Roy openly criticizing a section within the party to the bitter confrontation between Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee, from the conflict between MP Sudip Banerjee and MLA Kunal Ghosh to Banerjee’s heated spat with Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Trinamool’s internal rifts have come to the fore time and again in public.
From Sukhendu Shekhar Roy And Shantanu Sen, breaking ranks during protests after the RG Kar rape and murder case, former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi criticized the culture of political violence in the state – party leaders have publicly attacked each other, sometimes even taking their disputes to institutional forums like the Election Commission and Parliament.
It also traces the deep power struggle between Abhishek Banerjee’s emerging ecosystem and the old Mamata loyalist guard. The tension between Mukul Roy and Abhishek Banerjee, Abhishek’s clash with Suvendu Adhikari before his exit in 2020 and the growing distrust between young strategists and experienced organizational leaders reveal a party where competing camps operate openly. The list of internal conflicts is endless, highlighting either Mamata Banerjee’s unwillingness or inability to completely control the growing fragmentation inside her party.
Following the 2026 election results, the churning started with national spokesperson Riju Dutta openly expressing dissatisfaction and has now reached Dastidar, one of the party’s most recognizable parliamentary faces. His outburst has once again exposed the growing turmoil within the party, which for decades presented itself as a tightly controlled political machine under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.
cracks below control
What makes Dastidar’s case politically significant is not just the disagreement. This is a subtle asana. Dastidar and her husband, prominent gynecologist Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar, have been associated with the Trinamool ecosystem for decades. He belonged to the old loyalist network that stood by Mamata Banerjee during the party’s rise from the days of the anti-Left street movement. Hours after Dastidar’s resignation, another prominent leader Shantanu Sen also resigned. When uneasiness starts appearing on such faces, insiders believe that the matter is no longer one of isolated factionalism, but of a deep crisis of trust.
Read this also 1-2-3-9 equation: Reconstructing the historical numbers behind Suvendu Adhikari’s Bengal coronation
Party sources claim that at least 11 more senior leaders are currently considering political options, including four MPs and three former ministers. Some are maintaining backchannel communications with ruling party camps, while others are simply distancing themselves organizationally and waiting for the political environment to evolve. The concern within the Trinamool is palpable as it comes on the heels of the party’s first major political upset in years, a moment when the aura of invincibility around the leadership has weakened.
The pattern is not new. Whenever there was a shock, internal cracks became dramatically exposed. When after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections BJP flag hoisted all over Bengal And Trinamool’s dominance diminished, defection became regular. The exodus began with Mukul Roy, once considered Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenant and the architect of the party’s organizational structure. Widely known as the ‘Father of Factionalism’ in Bengal politics, Mukul Roy understood every layer of Trinamool’s internal power network. His departure shook the party as he had not only influence but also institutional memory.
consecration factor
The simultaneous rise of Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee created a parallel power center within the Trinamool. While the leadership publicly displayed unity, many senior leaders privately complained of disrespect, exclusion and constant interference by young political managers and consultant-driven teams.
The growing influence of strategists, data operators and the I-PAC ecosystem changed the character of the party. The veteran leaders who had built the organization through the politics of agitation were suddenly marginalized by the politics of presentation.
Many senior personalities gradually dropped out. Dinesh Trivedi left the party accusing it of abandoning democratic functioning. Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari, once central to Trinamool’s rural expansion, rebelled and joined the BJP. Senior leaders, including several ministers and many district-level strongmen, either defected or became politically inactive. What troubled many insiders was not just his departure, but the way old loyalists were removed when they were no longer politically useful.
To compensate for this, Trinamool inducted film stars, actors, celebrities and social media-friendly faces into the party. While electorally useful in urban areas, it created resentment among longtime organizational workers, who believed that ideological commitment and street-level struggle no longer mattered. The old guard seemed replaceable.
Read this also India Bloc’s question after Mamata’s defeat in Bengal: Who leads the opposition now?
The irony is that despite Mamata Banerjee’s repeated national ambitions and other expansion plans, the Trinamool Congress never developed into a sustainable national force. Regional parties like Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party successfully negotiated national relevance for decades as they built ideological and organizational depth beyond personality cult. Despite aggressive branding exercises, Trinamool remained largely stuck in the political ecosystem of Bengal.
lack of ideology
However, the deeper crisis lies in the fundamental structure of the party. The Trinamool Congress was born out of a violent anti-Left movement inspired by street mobilization and cadre aggression.
Unlike the CPI(M), which retained ideological coherence and disciplined cadre behavior despite electoral decline, the internal glue of the Trinamool was often access to power. Convenience, patronage, local dominance and control over resources became stronger binding forces than ideology. This model works effectively when the party is electorally unbeatable. As vulnerabilities appear, the structure begins to rapidly break down. This is why every political shock creates disproportionate panic inside the Trinamool ecosystem.
Leaders who enter politics through networks of influence rather than ideological commitment naturally begin to seek safer alternatives when power appears unstable. The current and immediate unrest reflects that structural weakness.
Allegations of violence, corruption controversies, recruitment scandals and continuing factional warfare have only accelerated the erosion. The district units are functioning like competing camps rather than a unified political organisation. Even within the leadership, it has become difficult to hide the lack of trust between the old Mamata loyalists and the new Abhishek-centric ecosystem.
Trinamool Congress is not collapsing overnight. But, for the first time since its birth, the party looks insecure not only because of the opposition but also because of itself.
read more
