Is TMC reinventing itself ahead of 2026? Major reshuffle in 18 districts to tackle internal factionalism

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has carried out major organisational changes in West Bengal, restructuring leadership in 18 out of its 35 districts. The move comes as part of the party’s preparation for the 2026 Assembly elections. A total of 11 new district presidents and 12 new organisational heads have been appointed. The reshuffle aims to streamline internal functioning and address factional issues within the party that became apparent during the 2021 elections.

In Birbhum, senior leader Anubrata Mondal was removed from the post of district president. A new core committee has been formed under senior MLA Ashish Banerjee. The committee includes leaders such as Abhijit Sinha, Chandranath Sinha, Vikas Roychowdhury, Sudipto Ghosh, and Kajal Sheikh. All are considered strong local figures and organisationally active. MPs Shatabdi Roy and Asit Kumar Mal have been appointed as invitee members of the committee. Mondal was arrested by the CBI in August 2022 in a cattle smuggling case and was released from jail in September 2023.

Party sources said that during Sunday’s committee meeting, Mamata Banerjee called Anubrata Mondal to attend and reassured him of his continued importance in the organisation. One senior leader present said, “Mamata didi gave a clear message of balance by inviting Mondal and acknowledging his role.” This is seen as part of an internal strategy to ensure unity among district leaders and prevent power struggles ahead of polls.

In North Kolkata, Sudip Bandyopadhyay has been reinstated as the district core committee chairman. He replaces Tapas Roy, who had earlier joined the BJP. Alongside Bandyopadhyay, leaders including Shashi Panja, Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Atin Ghosh, Paresh Pal, Supti Pandey, Swarnakamal Saha, Swapna Samaddar, Jeevan Saha, and Vivek Gupta have been given roles in the district organisation. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh has not been included in this new team.

Other key changes include the removal of Arup Chakraborty from the Bankura unit. Papiya Ghosh has been appointed to head the Darjeeling district unit. A few districts are still awaiting official announcements regarding new presidents and chairpersons. These changes are reportedly based on feedback from local units and the 2021 electoral experiences, during which several high-profile leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, left the party for the BJP.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had earlier announced in a February party event that restructuring was underway. He said, “Those who have worked with honesty and taken government schemes to people’s doorsteps will be rewarded.” He added that even those who worked hard but did not get visible results would be recognised. “Everyone must function as a team,” he said, stressing that the changes were not to be seen as a shift in power but as a reorganisation for better coordination.