Opinion | How Mamata Banerjee Is Losing Her Own Party After Losing Bengal To BJP

Not long ago, Mamata Banerjee was the face of Bengal’s defiance- fiercely independent, almost impossible to beat. She spent nearly fifteen years ruling West Bengal through a mix of sharp instincts, hands-on politics, and sheer presence. She toppled the Left Front after three decades. She kept the BJP on the outskirts, even as they circled closer. But now, the biggest fight Mamata faces doesn’t come from her rivals. It’s inside her own party.

Everything shifted after the Trinamool Congress crashed out in the 2026 Assembly elections. Mamata isn’t just patching wounds after a loss; she’s staring down open rebellion in the very party she raised from scratch.

The BJP’s win in Bengal wasn’t some ordinary surprise. It was a jolt. Years of slow gains finally caught up all at once, as they turned frustration with Mamata’s government into a huge, sweeping movement. The true shock came when Mamata herself lost Bhabanipur. That was her stronghold. People used to call it untouchable. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari didn’t just beat her anywhere; he beat her at home. For a leader who built her entire image as Bengal’s indomitable “Didi,” getting shut out in her own backyard isn’t just a defeat. It’s a moment that’s impossible to ignore.

Where did Mamata Banerjee go wrong?

Anti-incumbency played the biggest role here. After ruling for fifteen years, the TMC just wore people out. People started connecting the party with all sorts of trouble: corruption, the so-called “cut money” habit, recruitment scams, and these local syndicates running things behind the scenes. Sure, programs like Lakshmir Bhandar still got the TMC some goodwill, but it just wasn’t enough anymore. Complaints about poor governance were getting louder, and those welfare schemes couldn’t drown them out.

Then there’s the dynastic politics bit. Mamata spent years building her image as a leader close to the ground, but that took a hit when her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, started rising through the ranks. People inside the party got uncomfortable. Some senior leaders, though they wouldn’t say it openly, started wondering if decision-making got too top-down, too cut off from people actually working on the ground.

Meanwhile, the BJP pulled off a campaign that really landed. They convinced people they were the only real alternative to the TMC, tapping into frustration about law and order and the same old corruption stories. This time, unlike earlier elections when Mamata painted herself as Bengal’s shield against “outsiders,” the BJP adjusted. They built up local faces and drew in a wider base. That made a difference.

Legal trouble mounting over Didi 

For Mamata Banerjee, the political crisis is no longer confined to electoral setbacks and internal rebellion. The legal scrutiny surrounding both her and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, has added another layer of vulnerability to the Trinamool Congress’s troubles. FIRs linked to the alleged signature forgery case, repeated CID summons to Abhishek, and searches at premises associated with the Banerjee family have allowed opponents to reinforce their narrative of a party under siege.

Mamata’s response has been consistent: she has framed these investigations as politically motivated attempts to dismantle the opposition. The TMC has alleged a “witch hunt,” while Abhishek has publicly maintained that he is cooperating with investigators despite questioning the timing and intent behind the probes.

The Rebel MPs: Cracks Wide Open

Losing the election isn’t even Mamata’s biggest headache right now.

What’s really shaken things up is what’s happened inside the Trinamool Congress since the polls. There’s open rebellion. Some MPs and MLAs aren’t just grumbling in private. They’ve started challenging the party leadership out in the open. A few dissident groups are even trying to call themselves the “real Trinamool.” That iron grip the party was famous for? Turns out, it leaned heavily on winning elections, not shared beliefs.

Report after report says 19 or 20 out of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs have either signed letters asking to break away as a separate bloc or are ready to side with the NDA. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar seems to be leading the charge, and it’s not just her; names like Satabdi Roy, Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan, and June Malia keep popping up. 

Will the rebel MPs join NDA? 

So, what set them off? The rebels claim the party leadership lost touch with the ground reality. Corruption charges haven’t helped, making the party look bad, and Abhishek Banerjee’s rise has rubbed many senior leaders the wrong way. Some aren’t even hiding it anymore; they flat-out say they’re done taking orders from Abhishek in Parliament.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, in a letter reportedly addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, made it clear this breakaway group is actively thinking about teaming up with the BJP and its allies. “Nearly 20 TMC MPs, along with me, have decided to formally convey our desire to be part of the NDA,” he announced.

Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, another rebel MP, saying, “Twenty rebel MPs from the TMC will meet the Lok Sabha Speaker to stake claim to be recognised as the ‘real TMC’.” Senior rebel MPs said they don’t want Abhishek Banerjee leading them in the Lok Sabha anymore. 

Now, nobody knows if all these MPs will actually join the NDA. Some reports say that’s the plan, but others suggest a few might hold out, hoping to be called the “real Trinamool” before figuring out their next move. Still, one thing’s obvious: Mamata Banerjee is losing her grip. If the numbers stay where they are, she could be left with only 8 or 9 MPs out of her original 28. For someone whose power relied on tight discipline and racking up wins, this is more than just losing an election; it’s losing control over her own party.

So this mess isn’t just about losing one election. It’s put the spotlight on some tough issues: Who takes over after Mamata? Is there any real internal democracy? Has the TMC ever become more than just her personal project? For years, she held things together through authority and a string of wins. Then the wins stopped, and all the trouble spilled out.]

Will Mamata Banerjee join Congress? Is the TMC-Congress merger happening? 

Mamata Banerjee started the Trinamool Congress on her own, going up against both the Congress and the Left.  Didi stormed out of the Congress in 1998, setting up the Trinamool Congress because she felt the Congress ignored regional voices. Now, the talk is she might actually go back. Rumours took off after she met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, not just a quick handshake, but a meeting that really set tongues wagging.

Word is, Congress leaders floated ideas about bringing her on board while the TMC’s dealing with its own problems. Some reports even say Sonia Gandhi offered Mamata a Rajya Sabha seat and an important spot in a new opposition setup. Still, both parties have called these merger stories “baseless rumours” and told everyone to cool down.

Sure, the BJP won in Bengal, but Mamata’s toughest fight is actually just starting. What happens next will show if she can make one last comeback, or if she ends up as just another example of a once-powerful regional leader who lost her grip on the party she created. 

For now, it’s clear that Mamata not only lost her dear Bengal to the BJP, but is also losing her own party and her peace of mind. Is khela over for didi?

ALSO READ: TMC Split: Full List Of 19 Rebel MPs Who Wrote To Lok Sabha Speaker, Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan Among Signatories