Amid churn in TMC, party MP Kakoli joins Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's administrative meet with 6 MLAs

Kalyani (WB): In a politically telling image likely to deepen chatter about the churn within the TMC after its assembly poll defeat, senior party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, along with six other MLAs, on Tuesday attended West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's administrative review meeting at Kalyani.

The optics were difficult to miss: a visibly disgruntled Ghosh Dastidar, who recently quit her organisational post after publicly airing disappointment over her treatment in the TMC, sharing space at the BJP government's official platform at a time when West Bengal's political equations appear increasingly fluid.

Apart from the Barasat MP, those attending the meeting included TMC MLAs Anisur Rahaman Biswas of Deganga, Bina Mondal of Swarupnagar, Mohammad Abdul Matin of Haroa and three more legislators from the Basirhat region.

Held at the APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium in Kalyani, the meeting brought together officials and elected representatives from North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Hooghly districts.

For political observers, however, Ghosh Dastidar's presence carried political significance beyond its stated administrative purpose.

Only two days ago, she had resigned as the TMC's Barasat organisational district president. Earlier, after being removed as the parliamentary party chief whip and replaced by Kalyan Banerjee, she had posted on social media: "Association since 1976, journey began in 1984. Today I have been rewarded for four decades of loyalty." The post had triggered speculation over simmering discontent within the party, making her appearance at Adhikari's meeting instantly politically loaded.

Ghosh Dastidar, however, sought to play down the buzz.

"Administration belongs to everyone," she said briefly.

The attending TMC legislators, too, maintained they were there solely for developmental concerns.

"I have come for the development of my constituency. A total six of our MLAs have joined the meeting," said Bina Mondal.

"The state government invited us, so I came as an MLA," Abdul Matin said.

Anisur Rahaman Biswas said his constituency contained several backward areas and required government cooperation for overall development.

Addressing reporters later, Adhikari projected the meeting as an indication of departure from West Bengal's past political culture.

"When we were in the opposition, we were not invited to administrative meetings. We decided lawmakers would be invited. The Barasat MP responded positively. Many opposition MLAs from Basirhat also joined here. We even gave one of them an opportunity to speak," he said.

"We want people to receive the benefits of the double-engine government. Political exercises should happen only during election time; throughout the year we will work with constructive ideas," he added.

Interestingly, the development also found support from within the TMC.

Party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who had recently criticised a section of the party leadership, welcomed the participation of TMC MPs and MLAs and termed it a healthy democratic practice.

"It's unfortunate that this practice was not followed in the last 15 years," he said.

During the previous TMC regime, BJP leaders had often alleged that opposition legislators were excluded from such meetings. Soon after assuming office, Adhikari had announced that opposition MPs and MLAs too would be invited.

Tuesday's meeting appeared to be more than a routine administrative exercise. In West Bengal's fiercely polarised politics, the presence of six TMC MLAs and a visibly happy Ghosh Dastidar at the BJP government's official platform carried a message of its own.

If not political realignment, the optics certainly reflected shifting equations in the state's post-poll landscape -- where visuals often arrive before announcements.