Eye on upcoming polls, Trinamool for state-centric issues rather than allying with pan-India protest formats
In New Delhi on 4 December, LatestNewsX reported that Trinamool Congress MPs seem to be carving out a solo path, occasionally raising their voices in unison with other opposition leaders. This stance is largely driven by a directive from higher up, urging them to assert their distinct identity as the West Bengal Assembly elections loom next year.
The party wants to position itself as the spearhead of opposition politics, but on its own terms, especially when leading Congress‑led protests. While part of the INDIA alliance—a coalition whose acronym the party leaders claim was coined by Mamata Banerjee—it has chosen to go it alone on matters concerning West Bengal.
At the start of the current parliamentary session, opposition parties gathered outside the Makar Dwar entrance to protest the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list. The Gandhi family and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stood prominently amid the assembled leaders. The usual faces of the Nationally‑recognised Trinamool Congress were largely absent, with only Bapi Haldar and Mamata Thakur in attendance. Thakur’s presence carried significance: as a Matua, a community that has faced religious persecution in Bangladesh since independence, her concerns about potential disenfranchisement through SIR were highlighted. Despite the party’s strong opposition to SIR in West Bengal, the absence of its usual representatives was noticeable. The delegation had met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier, and Mamata Banerjee had also written to the poll body, urging it to halt the process amid reports of suicides and fatigue linked to the revision.
Within Parliament, the Trinamool Congress highlighted state‑specific issues—such as pending central funds, rising prices, and other concerns—signalling a preference for an independent stance within the INDIA bloc. The party focused on West Bengal‑related matters during the current session, with almost all its MPs present except for Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee, who was expected to join the session next week. The change came after veteran MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay stepped down due to health reasons, with his nephew and party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee stepping in. Reports suggest he brought a more assertive, independent approach to protests.
By strategically skipping certain Congress‑led demonstrations, the Trinamool underscores its autonomy and avoids being eclipsed by Congress within the opposition. This tactic, intended to resonate with voters in West Bengal, mirrors earlier decisions to bypass Congress demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into corporate irregularities. Instead, the party has highlighted issues such as unemployment and price hikes, gaining support from Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.
With state elections approaching in 2026, the Trinamool Congress is sharpening its focus on its own interests and intensifying attacks on the BJP to consolidate its base, rather than aligning with pan‑India protest formats. It aims to be perceived as a driver of opposition politics on its own terms as state polls approach. The party also sends a clear message to INDIA allies—particularly the Congress—that it will not forge an alliance in either Lok Sabha or Assembly contests. This stance revisits the 2011 Assembly election victory, when the Trinamool and Congress won West Bengal in coalition, and reflects Mamata Banerjee’s criticism that the Congress has failed to accommodate the Trinamool Congress in Tripura or Assam elections. As a state opposition leader quipped, the party’s mantra “Ekla Chalo Re” (tread the path alone) is less a romantic nod to Rabindra Sangeet and more a bold declaration for the political stage.
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