The Trinamool Congress, once the dominant force in West Bengal, is now a shadow of its former self after a crushing defeat in the 2026 assembly polls that saw the Bharatiya Janata Party take the state.
The loss triggered a split in the party’s legislature and parliamentary wings, with several MLAs and MPs defecting to rival camps, leaving Banerjee’s leadership under scrutiny.
Mamta Banerjee, who broke away from the Congress in 1998 to found the TMC, has now found herself at the center of a political crossroads as the party seeks to rebuild.
In the lead‑up to the Nandigram bypoll on 6 October, Banerjee’s faction had already shown a willingness to back the Congress candidate, prompting Congress to reach out with an invitation for her return.
The offer is now on the table for the Congress high command, which is slated to meet next week to decide whether Banerjee can head the party’s Bengal unit.
Reactions within the TMC are muted; the party’s main office in Kolkata reportedly awaits a formal statement from Banerjee before taking any action, a pause that could alter the state’s political calculus.