Leaders quiting TMC left and right, questions raised on top brass; Abhishek blamed

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing a full-scale internal rebellion following its historic defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Filmmaker Raj Chakraborty, the party's former MLA from Barrackpore, officially announced his exit from politics on Thursday after losing his seat to BJP’s Kaustuv Bagchi. In a poignant social media post, Chakraborty stated that his political journey, which began in 2021, reached its conclusion with the 2026 chapter. His resignation follows a similar sentiment from actor-MP Dev, who acknowledged the people's mandate and urged the incoming BJP administration to protect the state’s film industry.  

The rebellion has intensified as senior leaders and former ministers publicly point fingers at the party's top brass. Rabindranath Ghosh, a veteran from Cooch Behar, alleged a deep factional split within the party, claiming that Abhishek Banerjee pressured Mamata Banerjee to uphold his decisions, preventing her from acting naturally. This sentiment was echoed by former cricketer and outgoing Minister Manoj Tiwary, who described his ministerial role as a "lollipop" and accused senior minister Aroop Biswas of systematically humiliating him and blocking development projects in Howrah.  

Further cracks appeared in the party’s communication and local ranks. Spokesperson Riju Dutta issued a public apology to Suvendu Adhikari, claiming he was "forced" by the party to launch personal attacks during the campaign. Meanwhile, in Birbhum, former MLA Bikash Roy Chowdhury blamed the party's reliance on I-PAC and "non-Bengali consultants" for the disconnect with grassroots workers. The crisis reached a tipping point in Howrah, where Dr. Sujoy Chakraborty, former chairman of the board of administrators of Howrah Municipal Corporation, resigned, accusing the leadership of pressuring him to collect illegal funds from contractors.