How Mamata is losing her party, brick by brick, 28 years after she built it | Explained

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) is grappling with a severe internal crisis, with cracks appearing across its political structure. In a significant development, at least 14 TMC Members of Parliament met with West Bengal's BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari, a former TMC defector, to explore forming a separate bloc that could support the BJP-led National Democratic Front. This move comes as Banerjee, who recently lost power in West Bengal after three consecutive terms as chief minister, fights to keep her party intact.

The internal dissent is visible across multiple levels. In the West Bengal assembly, 58 out of 80 TMC MLAs reportedly backed Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition after his expulsion from the party for alleged anti-party activities. This move solidified the position of rebel MLAs and cornered Mamata Banerjee.

Adding to the party's woes, Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a close confidante of Banerjee, is reportedly spearheading a campaign to split from the TMC in Parliament. She has been engaged in continuous meetings with BJP leaders to facilitate this potential breakaway.

These internal struggles follow a significant defeat for the TMC in the recent state assembly polls, which saw the BJP gain power in West Bengal for the first time with a substantial majority. The party also faced a jolt when veteran leader Firhad Hakim resigned as the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, citing an inability to serve the chair effectively, though he claimed to have Mamata's permission.

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Firhad Hakim is no one. It is the chair which calls for respect. Revered personalities have sat on this chair in the past. When I was the municipal affairs minister and the mayor, I ran it (KMC) well. I used to provide relief to the people. That’s no longer possible now. I can’t disrespect the chair. I can’t cling to the chair while being a soldier with arms and armour. It would be disrespecting those revered personalities. That’s why I decided to resign.