OPINION | How TMC Lost Bengal: Abhishek Banerjee’s ‘Corporate Model’, I-PAC And Crisis Of Cadre Politics |
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), founded by Mamata Banerjee as a vehicle for grassroots resistance against the Left’s long dominance in West Bengal, now finds itself in a sharp decline. In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the party crashed from 215 seats in 2021 to just 80, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stormed to power with around 208 seats. This reversal marks not merely an electoral defeat but a deeper organisational rupture. Senior leaders and cadres increasingly point to a “corporate culture” imposed under Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew and the party’s National General Secretary, which replaced the TMC’s traditional bottom-up mobilisation with top-down control, data-driven strategies, and area domination tactics.
Mamata Banerjee built the TMC through relentless on-ground presence, personal accessibility, and welfare outreach that connected directly with voters, especially in rural Bengal. Her style emphasised organic local leadership and cadre autonomy. In contrast, Abhishek Banerjee’s approach, amplified after the 2021 victory, sought to professionalise the party via centralised command structures and external consultants. This shift, while delivering short-term gains in 2021 and respectable performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, ultimately alienated traditional workers, bred resentment among veterans, and proved vulnerable when anti-incumbency surged. The model’s collapse became evident in pockets like Diamond Harbour, where heavy reliance on strongmen and surveillance-style control backfired under neutral polling conditions. As internal rifts widen —with low attendance at Mamata’s recent meetings and leaders distancing themselves — the party’s crisis underscores a fundamental truth: corporate-style centralisation cannot sustainably substitute for genuine grassroots politics in a state as politically vibrant and diverse as West Bengal.
Jahangir Khan’s Falta Debacle and the Collapse of the Diamond Harbour Model
The Diamond Harbour Model, closely associated with Abhishek Banerjee’s parliamentary constituency, was projected as a blueprint for efficient welfare delivery and local dominance. It combined doorstep governance —........