Mamata Banerjee may be experiencing the worst phase in her political history with the mass exodus of leaders from her camp joining the rebel camp of Trinamool Congress (TMC) or Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the 2026 Assembly election results in West Bengal.
Rajya Sabha MPs who resigned joined the BJP last week, filing their nominations for byelections to the Upper House this week from the saffron party symbol. These include Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and Prakash Chik Baraik hoping to be back to the Upper House under a different symbol.
Following rumours over the past few weeks of actress and Rajya Sabha MP Koel Mallick resigning, she finally did so on Thursday—a day after Mamata's close aide and Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra switched over to the rebel TMC camp following Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to him and his family in the municipal recruitment scam.
This week has been buzzing with political activity, strengthening the resolve of the ruling party and the rebel bloc of the TMC. The Mamata bloc is fragmented, but is still determined to give a tough fight and rise up to be a formidable Opposition force in West Bengal.
While the fight for the TMC party symbol continues, the BJP is concealing a mighty laugh. Is there really a strong voice in the Opposition space in the state? With Mamata not being an MLA, there is little that can be done on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly. Hence the Martyrs' Day rally becomes an important platform for Mamata to claim political relevance in the months to come.
One may ask, what is new? Though the mass exodus has been taking place since June, a bold Mamata has sent out a clear message to those joining the Opposition camp as the rally nears: go if you may before July 21, go if you are under pressure from investigating agencies, but we will still rise in a new way—with or without you.
July 21 has always been Mamata’s platform to announce her blueprint for the coming months, especially during election seasons. This time is no different, except that the TMC supremo has limited clout and people standing by her when she delivers her public speech on July 21 near the Birla Planetarium, not Victoria House.
For 15 years as the Chief Minister, the state was hers, the rule was hers, the stage was hers. There was no question of police permission not being granted as she was the Home Minister too.
This time, the tables have turned and the Suvendu Adhikari government has denied permission to both her and the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel bloc of the TMC.
Mamata is in a conundrum and the dissent against Abhishek Banerjee has led to many switching sides, but the TMC supremo continues to stand by her nephew and maintains that he is fighting for the party.
Whether leaders are only under pressure to switch sides or whether there is a real opposition to Abhishek’s rule no longer matters. The real question is—will the July 21 platform be a powerful space for Mamata to signal her rise from the political turmoil? Or has Mamata lost her power to deliver a bold message that she means business?
When the stage and speech are ready, it will be Mamata standing to be judged yet again, but how many of her party’s rank and file will really be willing to listen?
