‘Those Who Want To Leave May Go’: Mamata Tells TMC Leaders After Bengal Poll Debacle

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged party candidates who contested the recently concluded West Bengal assembly elections to rebuild the organisation from the ground up after the party suffered its worst electoral setback in years.

Addressing a meeting at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata, attended by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister struck a defiant tone despite the party’s dramatic fall from power to the opposition benches.

Banerjee also made it clear that leaders wishing to leave the Trinamool Congress were free to do so, asserting that the party would recover and reorganise itself despite the crushing defeat.

‘I Will Rebuild the Party Afresh’: Mamata

Mamata asked leaders and workers who remained loyal to focus on reviving the party structure at the grassroots level.

“Those who are leaving for other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party afresh,” Banerjee reportedly said during the meeting.

She also urged party workers to restore damaged or abandoned party offices across the state. “To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If needed, I too will paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People’s mandate has been looted,” she said. 

Today, our Hon’ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our Hon’ble National General Secretary @abhishekaitc met with our contesting candidates, at Kalighat.

They fought with unmatched courage despite facing unimaginable atrocities and relentless intimidation.

The Trinamool Congress… pic.twitter.com/u4Of6S1D4l

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 15, 2026

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TMC Reduced to Opposition Benches

The remarks came days after the TMC suffered a stunning reversal in the assembly elections, ending its long spell as the ruling party in West Bengal.

Out of the state’s 294 assembly seats, the Trinamool Congress managed to secure victory in only 80 constituencies.

Mamata Banerjee herself lost from Bhabanipur, a constituency widely regarded as her political stronghold, adding to the symbolic weight of the defeat.

Several Senior Leaders Lost Elections

The TMC had fielded candidates in 291 seats while leaving three seats in the Darjeeling hills for ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa.

Of the 291 TMC candidates, only 80 emerged victorious, while 211 lost their contests. The defeats included several senior leaders and ministers, marking one of the party’s most difficult electoral performances since coming to power.

The meeting at Kalighat was organised amid growing reports of dissatisfaction within party ranks and speculation that some leaders could switch to rival political camps after the defeat.

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Mamata Repeats Earlier Warning on Defections

Saturday’s comments echoed Mamata Banerjee’s remarks made shortly after the election results were announced earlier this month.

Addressing a press conference on May 5, she had acknowledged that defections from the party were likely in the aftermath of the loss.

“I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. I have nothing to say about that. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back,” she had said.

Later, the TMC’s official X handle shared photographs from Saturday’s meeting and praised party candidates for their efforts during the campaign. The post also repeated the party’s allegation that the electoral mandate had been “stolen”, a charge repeatedly raised by TMC leaders following the poll results. 

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