Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday urged Trinamool Congress leaders to rebuild the party organisation after a setback in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, while making it clear that those wishing to leave the party were free to do so.
The remarks were made during a meeting at her Kalighat residence with Trinamool candidates who contested the elections. The meeting was attended by the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
'Let them go', says Mamata
According to PTI, Banerjee told party workers and candidates that the TMC would recover despite the setback and asked loyalists to help rebuild damaged party offices across the state.
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"Those who are leaving for other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party afresh. To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If needed, I too will paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People's mandate has been looted," PTI quoted Banerjee as saying, citing sources.
The meeting was attended by the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. X/@AITCofficial The TMC suffered a loss in the recently-concluded Assembly elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ending the party's three consecutive terms in power.
Sharp fall in TMC tally
Out of 293 seats counted by the Election Commission on May 4, the TMC won 80 seats, down sharply from the 215 seats it secured in the previous election. Repolling in the Falta Constituency is scheduled for May 21.
Banerjee lost from Bhabanipur, long considered one of her strongest political bases.
The TMC had contested 291 seats, leaving three seats in the Darjeeling hills for ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM). Several senior leaders and ministers were among those defeated.
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Party candidates during the meeting. X/@AITCofficial Party projects unity
The Kalighat meeting also appeared aimed at boosting morale within the organisation after the electoral setback.
Earlier, Banerjee had acknowledged the possibility of defections.
"I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. I have nothing to say about that. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back," she had said on May 5.
Later, the TMC shared photographs from the meeting on X, stating that the party remained united and would continue its fight despite the defeat.
