Mamata brings back Kalyan Banerjee as LS chief whip, calls for unity as TMC regroups after poll setback

Kolkata: In a clear signal that loyalty and political firepower continue to carry weight in the TMC, Mamata Banerjee on Thursday replaced Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar with Kalyan Banerjee as its Lok Sabha chief whip at a meeting of party MPs, turning again to a battle-tested loyalist in a moment of crisis.

Kalyan, who had been removed from the post when the TMC was at the peak of its political dominance amid internal turbulence, has now been brought back as the party seeks to navigate one of its toughest political phases in years.

The move, announced at TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence, came amid calls for unity and resilience as the party leadership sought to rally its parliamentary ranks after a bruising electoral battle that ended its uninterrupted run in power.

The meeting, attended by all party MPs, had the unmistakable feel of a regrouping exercise - part review, part morale-building and part political messaging.

While retaining Abhishek Banerjee as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha and Shatabdi Roy as deputy leader, the TMC supremo made the most significant organisational change by reinstating Kalyan Banerjee to a post he had relinquished in August last year during a public spat with Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra.

Political observers in the party saw the move as more than a routine reshuffle.

In recent months, Kalyan Banerjee emerged as one of TMC's most visible legal and political faces, taking an aggressive role in court battles and public confrontations amid the political turbulence surrounding the elections.

Though the party offered no official explanation, several MPs privately said Kalyan's courtroom interventions - from legal challenges to political counter-attacks - may have tilted the scales in his favour.

"The leadership values those who stand up and fight in difficult times," a senior MP said after the meeting.

The decision also carried another message: assembly-wise performance was not necessarily the yardstick for assigning parliamentary responsibilities.

Serampore and Barasat Lok Sabha segments both witnessed setbacks for TMC in the assembly polls, with the BJP winning five of the seven assembly segments in each constituency. Yet it was Kalyan, and not Kakoli, who got the nod.

Party insiders also pointed to internal equations.

While Kalyan's son Shirsanya Banerjee remained politically active despite his electoral defeat from Uttarpara and continued engaging with the party leadership, sections of the leadership were reportedly unhappy over social media posts by Kakoli's son that had caused embarrassment to the party.

Inside the meeting room, the TMC boss sought to steady the nerves of a party trying to process a defeat many in TMC continue to see as politically and administratively loaded.

She reportedly praised Kalyan's role and urged MPs to stay in regular touch with their constituencies and maintain coordination with local leadership.

The meeting also reflected a party leadership still unwilling to accept the electoral verdict at face value.

Addressing MPs, Abhishek Banerjee alleged that TMC had not merely fought the BJP but "the entire nation's might" brought in by the saffron party to defeat it.

"We fought a tough election. We worked very hard on SIR. We did not fight only the BJP, but the entire machinery brought by BJP to defeat us," Abhishek said, according to party sources.

He alleged that on counting day, CAPF personnel removed counting agents from centres, identity cards were snatched away and mobile phones were not allowed. Similar incidents allegedly occurred in Bhabanipur and elsewhere, he claimed.

Abhishek also alleged discrepancies between EVM figures and Form 17C data and claimed the party had demanded CCTV footage from counting centres.

He further alleged that television projections showing the BJP crossing the 200-seat mark after initial counting rounds were intended to demoralise TMC workers and agents.

Sources said the leadership also discussed taking Bengal-related issues to opposition bloc INDIA partners at the national level.

At the meeting, Jaynagar MP Pratima Mondal reportedly said she had wanted to visit various areas after the electoral setback, but local leaders had advised her against doing so.

Later, TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh struck a defiant note before reporters.

"TMC is not among those who are afraid or those who back down. Mamata Banerjee is a lioness, a fighter -- she was before, and she will remain so. This vote is not the people's mandate. The people of West Bengal did not want Mamata Banerjee's government to be removed," she said.

For a party that had dominated Bengal's political landscape for the past 15 years, Thursday's meeting appeared less an exercise in introspection and more an attempt to contain disquiet within the ranks and regroup after an electoral setback that has shaken the party's aura of invincibility.