In a firm message to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and activists following the party’s crushing defeat in the recent assembly elections, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee declared her intent to rebuild the party, while making it clear that those wishing to leave were free to do so.
“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,” Banerjee said during a meeting with TMC candidates at her Kalighat residence.
The party, which had been in power in West Bengal since 2011, was reduced to just 80 seats in the 294-member assembly, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stormed to power, winning 204 seats.
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But Banerjee at the meeting sougt to display political determination and strength. “Trinamool Congress will never bow down. The people’s mandate has been looted,” she asserted.
The meeting came amid reports of internal discontent and speculation over possible defections in the aftermath of the electoral setback. The defeat also saw Banerjee herself lose her stronghold of Bhabanipur to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, adding to the shock within the party.
A day after the results were announced, Banerjee had acknowledged the possibility of defections, saying, “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.”
Following Friday’s meeting, the TMC sought to project a message of unity. “The Trinamool Congress stands united as one family. We will never bow before those who loot the people’s mandate. Truth will prevail,” the party said in a post on X.