WEST BENGAL — The Trinamool Congress lost control of the West Bengal state government in a recent election, leading to a legislative revolt within the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party won the election, and Suvendu Adhikari assumed the position of chief minister of West Bengal.
Approximately 75 percent of party legislators organized a revolt against party leadership following the election. These revolting legislators assumed control of the party legislative wing and appointed a new opposition leader. The rebelling legislators alleged that party leadership forged signatures on official legislative documents.
Separately, approximately 20 of the 28 party parliament members submitted a letter to the parliamentary speaker. The letter requested to separate from the party caucus and align with the ruling coalition. Multiple party officials have also been arrested on corruption charges.
Political scientist Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya said, "What has happened is quite unprecedented." Bhattacharyya said, "To maintain control across Bengal, Banerjee relied less on party institutions than on powerful local leaders who were given considerable autonomy in their own fiefdoms." Policy researcher Rahul Verma said, "Earlier, defections tended to involve individual leaders breaking away. Today entire factions can rebel because the BJP provides an alternative centre of power, resources and political protection."
The party received approximately 26 million votes in the recent West Bengal election, retaining about 40 percent of the popular vote. The party holds 80 seats in the West Bengal state legislative assembly and 28 seats in the national parliament. In 2021, the party secured 56 percent of the vote in the Falta constituency, but the party did not field a candidate during a recent repoll in that constituency.
Mamata Banerjee founded the party. She governed West Bengal for 15 years, and in 2011, the party ended 34 consecutive years of communist party governance in West Bengal. Time magazine included Banerjee in its list of the 100 most influential people worldwide. Abhishek Banerjee is her nephew.