TMC intends to expand outside Bengal, appoints Abhishek Banerjee as All India General Secretary

After registering a landslide victory in the 2021 Assembly Elections, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday held two meetings, first with core committee members and next with the party leaders, at the Trinamool Bhavan here in presence of political strategist Prashant Kishor.

Abhishek, the party's de facto number two, resigned as the TMC youth wing president.

West Bengal politics witnessed a meteoric rise of Abhishek, who was attacked by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders none less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the polls, since 2014.

In 2014, Abhishek became the Lok Sabha MP from Diamond Harbour constituency for the first time and he was re-elected by a record margin of votes in 2019.

It is believed that Abhishek brought a slew of reforms in the TMC since the party suffered a setback in the 2019 General Elections.

Though TMC senior leader Partha Chatterjee didn't mince many words on the party's roadmap to 2024 General Elections, he said they are looking for a political expansion beyond West Bengal.

Just a few days ago, #BengaliPrimeMinister, interestingly, trended massively on Twitter, projecting Mamata as the Prime Ministerial candidate for 2024 polls to unseat incumbent Narendra Modi.

Though the TMC has units in few of the neighbouring states, it has no MLA or MP now.  

Actor-turned parliamentarian Saayoni Ghosh, who lost to BJP's Agnimitra Paul from Asansol Dakshin in the state polls despite spirited campaigning, has been appointed as the new TMC youth wing president.

In a significant decision taken on Saturday, Mamata introduced the "one person, one post" system, meaning a minister cannot become the TMC's district president or vice-versa.

Among the other changes brought are former Left leader Ritabrata Banerjee has been appointed as the president of Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC); former minister Purnendu Basu has been appointed as the peasant and agrarian labour cell chief; Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has been chosen as the Mahila TMC president and filmmaker-turned MLA Raj Chakraborty as the party's cultural cell president.

Though all eyes were there on Mamata whether she agrees to the return of the turncoats, no decision was taken on Saturday.

"No decision has been taken yet. Mamata Banerjee is looking into the matter personally," said Chatterjee.

Over the last few weeks since Mamata stormed back to power on May 2, turncoats, who switched over to the BJP just before the state polls, have expressed keenness to return to their former party.

BJP MLA Mukul Roy and his son Subhrangshu, who crossed over to the BJP a few years ago, are also speculated to return to the TMC after Abhishek touched down at a Kolkata hospital to enquire about Roy's ailing wife Krishna Roy.

Despite facing a mass exodus of leaders ahead of the polls, the TMC, riding on Mamata's charismatic leadership, won 213 seats as opposed to BJP's 77 in the Mar-Apr polls.