On Thursday, 28 September 2024, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters that Mamata Banerjee should rejoin the Congress and take charge of its Bengal unit—an overture that follows a bitter split that left 60 TMC legislators defecting to form a new party.
The fracture erupted after the Trinamool Congress lost the May 2024 assembly elections, prompting a faction of 60 MPs to splinter off and label themselves the “real” TMC. A further 20 defected to the National Democratic Alliance, citing leadership grievances.
Sougata Roy, a senior TMC MP who remains loyal to Banerjee, said the party would consider any proposal only from the top leadership, warning that Congress would have to submit a formal offer. "The TMC is a separate party now," he told PTI, adding that the INDIA alliance remains intact.
BJP West Bengal spokesperson Debjit Sarkar slammed the offer, saying the party Banerjee founded has lost its purpose after losing power. "The TMC was born to fight the CPI(M), and now that it has no power, it has no purpose," he said.
Congress has said it will convene a leadership meeting on 5 October to evaluate the proposition, while Banerjee’s camp has so far dismissed the idea as a political ruse. The outcome of that meeting could decide whether the Bengal political landscape shifts again.