The Trinamool Congress marked its 28th foundation on January 1. The foundation day is one of the three major days for the party in a calendar year, the other two being Trinamool's July 21 rally and the foundation day of its students' wing, on which the ruling party of West Bengal conducts massive rallies addressed by the top brass of the organisation.
2026 is especially crucial for all the political players in the state as the assembly elections come closer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have commenced making regular trips to the state. Shah, exuding confidence, has declared that it is only a matter of time before the BJP forms the government in the state. On the other hand, erstwhile rulers CPI(M) and the Indian National Congress are also increasingly hitting the streets, striving to regain their lost ground. Amid this, suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir has formed his separate party, and the Nawshad Siddique-led ISF is trying to increase its influence.
News Ei Samay spoke with Trinamool Congress leaders to understand the challenges that the party will be battling before the state goes into full-blown election mode.
'Overconfidence is biggest challenge'
Trinamool Congress spokesperson and IT Cell chief Debangshu Bhattacharya said, "The main challenge for us workers of the party is overconfidence. We should not get smug, but be confident. The second challenge is to stop the 'anti-Bengal' forces from entering the state."
He added, "The third challenge for us is to present and campaign on the developmental work being done by the Mamata Banerjee government, in detail, on the ground as well as on social media." He emphasised the need to carry the campaign down to the booth level, and even knock on doors to make the people know and understand the various projects which have been undertaken under the Trinamool Congress government, and the effects of the schemes on society.
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'Will stop BJP at 30 seats'
Party spokesperson and the Vice-President of Trinamool's students' wing, Sudip Raha, said, "Trinamool Congress's primary struggle is against the 'anti-Bengal zamindars', those who have influenced Bengal BJP leaders to make derogatory comments on the great personalities of our state, and have insulted Bengal and Bengalis. Bengalis have been tortured in BJP-ruled states." He added, "Funds for MGNREGA have been stalled for Bengal; inhabitants of the state have been termed 'Bangladeshis'; Bengal has been attacked by the 'zamindars' of Delhi."
Raha said that in this context, Trinamool Congress's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has launched a new campaign, 'Jotoi Koro Hamla, Abar Jitbe Bangla' (However much you attack, Bengal will win). He further said, "However much the BJP tries to freeze our dues, stall payments for MGNREGA, GST payouts, and conspires to delete the names of valid voters through the SIR exercise - Trinamool Congress will fight to stop BJP from winning any more than 30 seats in the states, and the people have vowed to be a part in this struggle."
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'Countering false narratives'
Trinamool spokesperson and professor of political science Dr. Pradipta Mukherjee said, "Our challenge is to counter the fake narratives being propagated by the BJP. We are fighting against the freezing of the state's due funds. At the same time, they (BJP) are manufacturing and propagating false information. They are going big on infiltration. But parliamentary records of the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai note infiltration in Tripura, Assam, and much less in West Bengal.
Dr. Mukherjee highlighted that the misrepresentation of facts regarding West Bengal amounts to threatening the people of the state. "Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, we have always extended our support to the Union government on national security and integrity, but will always counter false narratives with evidence, facts," he said. On the SIR exercise, Dr. Mukherjee noted, "Elderly people are being targeted and summoned for hearings. That is also a big challenge, and workers of Trinamool Congress are facing these issues. Protecting the right of suffrage is our goal. Amid all this, we will win more than 230 seats in 2026."
The state is heating up for the upcoming polls. While the BJP targets a win with a two-thirds majority, as a mark of retribution for the 2021 upset, the Trinamool Congress is banking on its traditional voter base to repeat, and even deliver a better performance than the last elections. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls did not bode well for the BJP in West Bengal, as they were reduced to 12 seats from their all-time high of 18 in 2019, while the Trinamool Congress substantially bettered its tally.
